


Reveal the cards

by Angel1622



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Canon Divergence, Dark Past, Nakamaship, Other, Pre-Grand Line (One Piece), Sanji-centric, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:33:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 49,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22407268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel1622/pseuds/Angel1622
Summary: Going Merry drags people with dark stories, because no one living a happy life would set sail at their age.A canon divergence where The Strawhats first meet their chef several islands after the Baratie, bleeding out from a gunshot in a dark alley. Sanji-centric.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro & Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 68
Kudos: 233





	1. Runaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> My first work that would by no means fit the canon - I'm not sure about it, but this idea has been on my mind for way to long so I had to write it down somewhere. I'm not a big fan of canon divergences and AUs, but I hope you'll swallow this piece nonetheless.  
> Have fun!

“Everyone, to the cannons!” shouted Zoro, cursing under his breath. As soon as they left with the sea-witch, someone _had_ to rob the Merry from all the treasure. And, of course, she couldn’t let it slide and _had_ to persuade Luffy to pursue them.

The swordsman wouldn’t blame her for it if the pirates they were chasing didn’t have cannons and didn’t shoot at Merry. Usopp wouldn’t stop bitching for days after this mess would be over. He quickly ran to the nearest cannon, loading it and aiming for the ship in front of him.

“Zoro, more to the right!” shouted the sharpshooter, taking his weapon “Aim for the deck!”

“I know, idiot!” snapped Zoro, turning the cannon and firing it.

“Damn it, Zoro!” he heard the sea-witch whine “To the _right_ , god damn it! _Right,_ not left!”

“And how was I supposed to know? Usopp’s hints were tricky!” Now that he looked at the island, he really did aim for the wrong direction. Blame it on the sharpshooter.

“What if you hurt someone?! There are normal people on the island, too!”

“I know, witch!” he said angrily, sparing her a cold look “Now lend a hand or we’ll never be rich enough to repair what’s left of Merry!”

***

Sanji ran a hand through his hair, looking into the mirror. He hated the person on the other side, but he was told to look nice before the next clients would come, so it wasn’t like he had a choice. Golden bracelets on his wrists and ankles shackled with his every move, making him feel like a bell of some sorts.

He wished he had a pair of shoes, walking bare-footed was driving him crazy, but if he had even a pair of flip-flops, some of his customers – most of them – would leave with their noses or ribcages broken. That’s why he wasn’t given any, damn it. At least his clothes were comfortable – a black shirt and trousers from a flowing, soft material, very pleasant to touch, although he’d gladly change into a three-piece suit.

His eyes wandered to the clock hanging on the wall opposite him, or rather at its reflection in the mirror. The next client was going to arrive in half an hour, he heard it was a special one, a big fish pirate. If it wasn’t for how often pirates showed up in there, he would like the profession because, well, Zeff was once a pirate, but the more of those ugly mugs he saw the more sure he was that the geezer was just an exception to the rule. Pirates were like animals – giving in to the most primary instincts, knowing nothing about culture, etiquette, and most often – showering.

The place was always full of people from all social strata, like a casino. Sanji had seen aristocrats, drug dealers, pirates, diplomats, artists and Marines, but also average and sometimes poor people. That’s why the business was going so well, people always had and always will give in to their basic needs – sleep, food, intercourse. No matter how rich or educated they were.

His thoughts were stopped by a loud _boom_ sound and one of the walls shattering into pieces. Sanji lifted himself up from the floor, ignoring the ringing in his ears and a bit blurry vision, and walked right to the gaping hole that seconds earlier was a pile of bricks covered in paint. Without a second thought, he walked out of the place and headed to the nearest alley – _ran_ to it. Seconds later he could hear voices and footsteps.

“Fuck! Fucking pirates! Look at that hole!”

“Boss, it’s one of the rooms! It’s empty!”

“What do we do now, Boss? The customer requested this particular one!”

“Don’t worry, gentlemen. All we have to do is find Sanji, right? He couldn’t have run away, and don’t forget we’ll hear him if he makes a move. We don’t give our expensive jewelry for nothing, right?” Blood drained from Sanji’s face. He wasn’t going back there, oh no. If he just stood there, they would surely find him in a moment, but if he started running, he would be recognizable from a mile.

He carefully started removing the bracelets from his ankles, hissing quietly whenever they made the slightest of sounds. When he was close to taking off the second one, his hand slipped, making both his wrist and ankle jewelry jingle way too loudly to his liking.

“Ah, there he is!” he cursed when he heard a voice closing in “Found him!”

Having no time, Sanji quickly took off the bracelet from his ankle, not caring about how loud it was – it didn’t matter anymore – and started running as fast as he could. He cursed, hearing more voices and footsteps following him. The wrist ornaments had to go.

If it wasn’t for the months he spent without training, he would’ve lost the men long ago. Or rather, he would beat them all up with a nice pair of shoes, digging his heel into every ugly mug he felt like. But unfortunately for him, all he could do was run.

He took the biggest possible amount of turns, trying to lose the pursuit, leaving the damned jingling bracelets behind him. Bad luck though, the people going after him were too close to make it work. He could hear their excited shouts when they got close enough to see him. His breath fastened as panic started to rise inside. It was a one-in-a-million chance, he wouldn’t let it go to waste. He _couldn’t._

 _There_. He noticed a metal fence blocking his way. A dead end, but if he managed to jump over it…

“Shoot!” he heard a command and he could feel blood draining from his face. He had to get over that barricade.

“Are you out of your mind? The boss will kill you if something happens to him!”

“The boss will kill all of us if he runs away! Now shoot, idiot!”

When he was mere meters from the fence, Sanji jumped. It was probably the adrenaline that gathered in his veins, but before he knew it, he was on the other side. A small smile came on his lips. He could run, he could get out of this shitty place.

“If you’re such a coward, I’ll do it!” Sanji looked around frantically, searching for a turn to take. He had to get out of their shooting range, now.

A few things happened at the same time – he lunged into the nearest alley, heard a loud gunshot and felt pain ripping his side. _Fuck._ He stopped in his tracks a few meters later, pressing a hand to the hurting place, only to find it covered in blood.

“Holy shit!” he cursed, looking around. He wasn’t far from the main street, and he was in dire need of help. Damn it, this wasn’t how it was supposed to turn out. They’ll continue looking for him until they find him, which in his current state wouldn’t take long.

Cursing his twisted luck, Sanji continued running, his hand pressed to his side, trying to hold the running blood as the pain stabbed him with every consecutive step. A short while passed before he found himself unable to run any further and had to slow down to fast march. Good thing, he could see the main street and hear people talking and laughing. If he only managed to get there and find help…

Legs buckled under him as his vision became hazy. The adrenaline was wearing off, the pain intensifying and making him unable to think rationally. Shit, holy fuck! Not now, not when he was so close to making it. A quiet moan escaped his lips as he leaned on a wall, sliding to the ground. He felt tired, extremely tired. His eyelids were so heavy.

He was aware he was dying, perhaps that’s why he screamed for help – was it a scream, or a whisper? – hoping for anyone to come around.

***

“Hey, Nami.” Zoro suddenly stopped in his tracks, almost letting go of the bag full of retrieved treasure “Did you hear that?”

“What?” asked the navigator, cocking an eyebrow. She knew the swordsman was terrible with directions, which he proved earlier that day, but it was strange even for him to hear voices “What was I supposed to hear?”

“Someone’s calling.” Said the man quietly “For help.”

“What are you talking about?” frowned Nami, giving her friend an annoyed look “Zoro, if you’re trying to make me carry those bags only because you claim to hear voices–“

“Quiet.” He didn’t even pay attention to what she was saying, his head turning into the direction of one of the alleys going from the street they were on “Over there, come.”

“Are you sure?” she still couldn’t believe he was able to hear the voice which she couldn’t. It wasn’t one hundred percent impossible, because Zoro was really perceptive and had brilliant hearing, but she should also hear a person who was _calling._

“Just move.” Something in his voice ringed a red lamp in the navigator’s head. Something was wrong with whoever was calling and Zoro could feel it. She didn’t ask any more questions while she followed him into the narrow street. Soon after, she noticed a figure sitting on the ground, leaning on the wall, eyes closed. A young man, perhaps around her age, slim, with a blonde fringe covering one of his eyes.

“Holy shit, Zoro!” she couldn’t stop a surprised gasp when she noticed red liquid on the man’s hand along with a small pool which formed next to it. Even though his black clothes masked it well, there must’ve been quite a nasty wound over there “Is this a dead body?”

“No, he’s still breathing.” The swordsman shook his head, handing her the treasure bags “Take them, I’ll get this guy to Merry. We don’t have much time.” He added quickly, as if expecting her to complain. She would make sure to charge him later for not believing in her warm heart.

***

The feeling of waking up in an unknown place, even if not new to Sanji, was unpleasant. He looked around, examining the room. It was neat, nicely and nicely organized. Apart from the bed he woke up in, there was a night stand, a small chest of drawers and a window. He sat up, hissing when he felt stabbing pain in his side, but he was wrapped around with bandages. At least he wasn’t going to bleed out.

The sight of vast ocean wasn’t exactly what he expected when he looked outside the window. A ship it was. Was it a pirate one? Was he taken by the pirates who were supposed to dock at the island? Shit, he was in trouble way worse than he could’ve imagined.

Noticing his shirt was already gone, Sanji quickly walked to the closet and opened it with one smooth move. There wasn’t much clothes to choose, but he was grateful to find a pair of shoes which wasn’t exactly his size, but still was way better than walking bare-footed, an oversized, blue T-shirt and a pair of shorts. Just when he was halfway putting the T-shirt on, the door opened.

“Oh, you’re awake.” He heard a young man’s voice, and soon after a figure appeared in his sight. Black, curly hair, and an incredibly long nose. A sling-shot aimed right at him “A-are you alright? Did your bandages leak through? Don’t move!” he shouted when Sanji finished the interrupted activity.

“I think I’m okay.” He said slowly, putting both his hands up so that the pirate could see them. He fought the urge to cock an eyebrow, this one over there looked nothing like the pirates he’d encountered before. Perhaps he was new to the crew. If so, Sanji could take advantage of that and get out of there as soon as possible “Who are you?”

“That’s what I should be asking!” said the man “But since you want to know so badly… I’m the Great Captain Usopp, and with this fantastic galleon, Going Merry, I’m on my way to conquer the Grand Line.”

“…Yes.” Sanji nodded slowly, still too well aware of the weapon the… Usopp was holding. “I’m Sanji. I want to pact with this ship’s captain.” the pirate cocked his head, raising a brow “Negotiation. I want to negotiate.”

“Well…” Usopp looked really puzzled “Come with me. Don’t try anything funny!”

The ship was really small for a pirate crew that Sanji expected, but there was no sign of filthy, ruthless pirates around either. He started having doubts if the Going Merry, as Usopp called it, was really a pirate ship. There were tangerine trees on the upper deck, a crow’s nest, a jolly roger– pirates ho, holy shit. So he really got to his clients-to-be. Fuck it all.

“Luffy!” shouted Usopp, and for a moment Sanji considered turning back and jumping into the ocean a good idea, although he had nowhere to go. No land in sight. Moments after, a figure of young boy appeared in front of him. He was shorter than Sanji, skinny and smiling. He was dressed similar to Sanji, except from the straw hat he was wearing.

“Oh, you’re awake!” he grinned widely “I’m Luffy, the future King of Pirates!”

“Luffy, Sanji said something about negotiating with you.” Said Usopp quietly “I think he wants something from you.”

“From me?” Luffy cocked his head “Really? Nami would be better for negotiation.”

“I want you to set me free on the nearest island.” Said Sanji, crossing his arms “In return…” he stopped for a moment, thinking about what he was about to say next. Those were the pirates that were supposed to be his clients, so he knew what they _wanted_ , but on the other hand they had never met before, so it was possible they didn’t know who he was. “…do you have a chef? I might cook for you during this time.” The captain seemed to have been thinking about the offer for a moment, but then grinned widely.

“Fine!” he reached out his hand “But you’ll join my crew!”

“What?” Sanji looked questioningly at Usopp, but the other man only shook his arms.

“Once Luffy hangs his eye on you, there’s little you can do. Of course, if you won’t like it here you can always leave. You’re not our prisoner or anything, so…” Sanji frowned slightly, something wasn’t right about what they were saying.

“I’ll join you for now.” He said, shaking Luffy’s hand “But I have some questions.”

“Great!” the captain’s face broke into a wide grin “Then, what do you want to know?”

“How did I get here?”

“Zoro and Nami brought you here. They were worried, Nami said that we should see if you were shot, and you were! Usopp took out the bullet and wrapped you in bandages, so that you didn’t bleed out.” Sanji looked at Usopp and nodded him a quiet _thank you_. The pirate smirked in response, showing him a thumb up

“Why were you in the town?”

“We were chasing pirates who stole out treasures when we weren’t watching!” whined the captain “Nami didn’t want to leave it as it was, so we had no choice.”

“Which one of you bastards is talking about me behind my back?” Sanji heard a female voice and instantly turned around in its direction. “I shall charge you for that… oh, you’re okay! I’m glad!”

“Sweet mellorine.” Whispered Sanji, admiring the lady standing in front of him “It’s a pleasure to meet you, beautiful lady.”

“Nami, I was just telling Sanji how we chased the other pirates and got to the island he was on.” Defended himself Luffy “I didn’t want to insult you.”

“It’s alright, don’t mind those two.” Nami-san paid absolutely zero attention to the captain and Usopp “We got robbed and had to take back what was ours, why did you ask… Sanji-kun?”

“I was just wondering.” Lied Sanji, shrugging slightly “I heard some big thug pirates were going to come to the island, so I was curious if it was you guys.”

“I don’t think so.” Nami-san smiled to herself “We’re not a famous crew yet, but one day we’ll be. I take it Luffy already told you to join, am I right?” he nodded slightly, letting her continue “Well, I’m the ship’s navigator, Usopp’s our shipwright and a sharpshooter, Luffy, of course, is the captain, and Zoro is the first mate. Who are you, then?”

“The chef…” Sanji counted once more, then again “There’s only four of you?”

“Five.” Said Luffy, showing him five fingers “Me, Zoro, Nami, Usopp and you.” _Oh, right._ They also counted him now, so there was five of them indeed. Still too few to call it a crew.

“You know, Sanji-kun, why don’t you come with me for a moment?” Nami winked, taking his hand and dragging him closer “I’ll show you my room.” Sanji stopped himself from flinching at those words. Of course, Nami-san was a gorgeous woman…

“Don’t get the wrong idea, I just wanted a place with no ears to eavesdrop.” She said in an apologetic way as soon as they got inside, which strangely lifted a huge weight off his shoulders “I just wanted to know, why did you get shot? It didn’t look like an accident.” Sanji froze for splits of second. _So that was how she wanted to play it._

“I got into a bar fight.” He said, looking around the room. The table was full of maps, some of them unfinished. He had to ask her about them “The guy had a gun, so he shot. Hit me pretty badly.” For a moment, her look was cold, as if analyzing his words carefully, then she spoke.

“You were pursued, right?” She said, exposing his lies. He wasn’t telling the truth and she knew it. “Well, I should have known you wouldn’t like to talk about what happened. You know, this ship draws people with stories that they would rather keep to themselves. I mean, why would a group of adolescents like us set sail and become pirates if we lived happy lives?” she stopped for a moment, looking at the table.

“Everyone here has gone through something terrifying.” She gently caressed the maps, giving them a sad looks “But still, we all learn to live happy lives here, on Merry Go. You will, too.” She looked at him, beckoning him to join her “I used to hate drawing maps. When I was young, pirates invaded my island and took all its people as hostages, killed my mother and forced me to draw for them. I had a room where I sat for hours, measuring and sketching for them…”

“You hated every second of it.” Interrupted her Sanji, looking at the maps. They were so precisely drawn, flawless. It couldn’t have been done without years of practice. He realized how similar they were in some aspects.

“Exactly.” She smiled, looking at him “I also hated pirates, but after meeting Luffy, well, he has this thing that tells you to follow him to the edge of the world. Anyway, you’ll find your place here. And when you’ll feel ready, you’ll share your story with us.” He only hummed in response, noticing a slip of paper under one of the maps. It was a note.

_“My dearest Nami,  
I found something in Genzo-san’s the garden. Bellmere would get mad if she knew I snuck there again.  
Knowing her she would turn all red and rebuke me, but I couldn’t stop my curiosity, you know me.  
Anyway, I heard there Are 3 little kittens in his household. I wish you could see them, they’re lovely!  
yours,  
Nojiko.”_

“Oh, this one.” Nami-san noticed what he was holding “I got it from my sister when I was drawing maps for those pirates. They sometimes let me get letters from her, so I didn’t go crazy and knew she was still alive. Sometimes, she would attach a map, like with this one.” She handed him a second piece of paper.

“I wonder why most of the lines start with capital letters.” Sanji raised an eyebrow, and saw the navigator smile in a warm way.

“It’s a code.” She said “Connected capital letters at the beginnings of the lines carry a message, and there’s also one thing.” She pointed at the map “If there’s a number with a capital letter before it, we have a location.” Sanji looked closer at the drawing. It surely wasn’t Nami-san’s, but still very accurate and divided into squares. Just like in Battleship.

“So, what does this one mean?”

“She hid mikan fruit in the garden. I could walk there sometimes if I did a particularly good job. See? There’s A3, there were bushes where she sometimes snuck me some things. They never found out how it worked, but soon forbid me to go out, so I just saved the letters.” Her smile was sad, but it seemed more like sympathy for her younger self than pain. “Anyway, this is the map of our adventures! I want to keep drawing it until it turns into the map of the world!”

Sanji watched as she pointed at a particularly big map hanging on one of the walls. He was impressed by its perfection, again – it was absolutely flawless. He walked closer, looking at the islands drawn on it, sliding his finger from one to another, until it stopped on the last one.

“Is this my island?” he asked, pointing at it. Nami nodded vividly, walking closer “Which square would that be?”

“Let me see…” she hummed quietly, looking at her creation “M9, I think. Maybe M10, but I would stick with the nine.”

“I see.” He nodded slowly, turning to her “By the way, who’s Zoro? Everyone here has mentioned this name at least once, but I have only seen you, Luffy and Usopp.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the thing with Nami and Nojiko coding the messages was absoutely my creation, and it might be boring BUT it would likely be important in the next chapters, so thank you for the paid attention. As for Sanji, his past with Vinsmokes and Zeff is still actual, don't worry about that one.  
> Thanks for reading this chapter!


	2. Who the hell is Zoro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanji finally gets to meet the last member of the Strawhats.

“Oh, _that’s_ Zoro.” He said, looking at Nami. True, there was a man, even a muscled one, but he was either asleep in the middle of the day or passed out due to alcohol usage, judging from the empty bottles around him.

“Not quite what you expected?” she shrugged with a smile “Don’t underestimate him, he’s strong. As expected of our first mate. Truth be known, you rarely get to see him sober, even though he sliced his best friend up when he was drunk.”

“Witch!” the swordsman’s eyes snapped open as he got up “I fucking told you not bitch about what happened to everyone to anyone who comes on board.”

“Watch your tongue, mosshead.” Sanji narrowed his eyes, eyeing the man up “That’s not the way you treat a lady, you know?”

“What did you say, dart brow?” Sanji’s eyebrow twitched at hearing his new pseud. The swordsman stood up, one of his hands going to the katana hanging by his side.

“Zoro, don’t start a fight with him now.” Sighed the navigator “Sanji’s still injured. You saw him earlier…”

“Don’t worry, Nami-san, I’ve got this.” Smirked the cook “I’ll make the bastard take back his words.”

“Try me then, curlybrow.” Zoro unsheathed one of his swords and charged at Sanji, who barely had time to hide his hands into the shorts’ pockets and block the incoming hit with one of his legs. It was strong, it would be even if he wasn’t out of training for so long.

“Seems you know some tricks.” Snapped the swordsman, smirking as he drew another sword in his other hand, forcing Sanji to jump back.

“Not bad for someone who can barely stand up after drinking a whole barrel of wine.” He said, eyeing the man up, searching for openings.

“That stuff’s better than coloured water, it’s sake.” Corrected him Zoro, charging at him once more. They clashed a couple of times, exchanging hits and slices, unable to hit the other one. That was what Sanji needed, a let-go to all of his emotions, a good fight. The other man seemed to enjoy it too, sometimes smirking when a particularly hard blow from him caused Sanji to back off. But soon it turned out the lack of training did its job. He found himself panting slightly, his legs unwilling to move as fast as earlier, and before he knew it he had one of the swords pointed right at his throat.

“Not bad for an injured, scowling dog.” The swordsman cocked his head, sheathing his weapons “Roronoa Zoro, the future world’s strongest swordsman.”

“Not bad for a drunk barbarian with three letter knives. Sanji.” He nodded slightly, examining the other man “Why do you drink?”

“Tastes good.” Shrugged Zoro, not quite noticing what Sanji was aiming for.

“No. Why do you drink, after what happened? Nami-san was telling the truth, wasn’t she?” it took about three seconds for things to click in the mosshead’s brain before his face became colder.

“I was young and very stupid.” He said, walking towards the railing and leaning on it “Kuina, she was so damn good, the best I’ve ever seen. I always wanted to beat her. Heard that people got braver after drinking alcohol, I tried.” He looked down “She noticed, didn’t want to fight, but I wasn’t thinking clearly that night. When I came to in the morning, it was all over.” He stared blankly into the ocean for a while. “I promised myself to never lose control after drinking again, maybe that’s why. Running away wouldn’t solve anything, would it?”

Sanji didn’t know what to say. People on this ship, he would never had thought they were bearing such weights on their shoulders. And Zoro? He killed the closest person for him, for god’s sake. Even though he didn’t want it, he had Kuina’s blood on his hands. Forever. And he decided to face what happened instead of turning his back on the past.

“You can’t be so sure.” Sanji chose his words carefully, observing the other man “You don’t remember, do you?”

“They told me she fell down the stairs. Down the stairs, you get it?” the swordsman shook his head – in disbelief or disappointment, Sanji couldn’t tell – and turned his head to him “She was the most talented swordswoman I’ve ever met, I refuse to believe she died in such way. Not her.”

Sanji didn’t try to argue the man this time. True, everyone could fall down the stairs, but Zoro knew what he knew. How small the odds were, how much more possible another scenarios there were. He leaned on the railing, back to the ocean, simply standing there in silence.

“I see.” He involuntarily reached his hand to his pocket, looking for a pack of cigarettes. The old damn habit, it refused to die over all this time spent on compulsory withdrawal. Well, at least it was one of the very few things they didn’t manage to take away from him.

“You see, everyone sees.” Grunted the swordsman “Everyone sees, but no one understands, for fuck’s sake. No one knows what it’s like to know you killed the one you treasured the most! Kuina was my only true friend, and fuck it all, I sliced her up because I thought stupid bottle of sake would help me beat her! So what if I fight it now, that won’t take her back!”

“Zoro, enough of this.” Sanji heard Usopp’s quiet voice behind him “Go to sleep, you’re drunk.”

“As if I didn’t know, long-nose! Just get lost!” The swordsman was really annoyed right now. Sanji noticed Usopp’s meaningful look, he didn’t have to know the other man good to notice the let’s-get-out-of-there-quickly expression. He sighed and followed the sharpshooter, leaving Zoro behind with his own thoughts.

“Bad luck for you, Sanji.” Said the long-nose as soon as they got out of Zoro’s sight and hearing “Zoro doesn’t usually let his emotions take over. He could fight you then and there, you know?”

“Does he always act like that when he’s drunk?” asked Sanji, looking behind his back, as if checking if the swordsman wasn’t eavesdropping “That sort of behavior can be dangerous to you guys.”

“It’s not like that.” The sharpshooter shook his head “He doesn’t usually drink _that_ much. You see, it’s not noon yet, and all of the bottles around him have been emptied this morning. It’s a miracle he can stand and fight, sometimes I wonder what he’s made of.”

“Is it a special occasion then?” Sanji raised his eyebrow “Like, a celebration?”

“I wouldn’t call it a celebration.” Usopp sighed “You see, today’s the anniversary of his friend’s death.” _Holy shit._ All the words in Sanji’s throat sunk deep into his stomach.

“It’s okay.” Assured him Usopp, noticing his uneasiness “You couldn’t have known. We also didn’t, until yesterday, he warned us something among those lines might happen.”

Sanji nodded slowly. The death of a close friend, was it similar to a parent’s? How worse it was, knowing that you were the one to take away the life of your treasured one? He didn’t judge Zoro, it would be very, very wrong taken the circumstances. It was like accusing himself of being the cause of Zeff eating his own leg and… well – of course, it _was_ his fault, but at the same time, it wasn’t. He didn’t want any of this.

“You know, I often imagine how he feels.” Usopp broke the silence, sitting down and looking up in the sky “In my village, there was one girl, Kaya. She was very sick, and I would tell her stories about my adventures as the Great Captain Usopp to cheer her up. She was the only one to believe me, see me as more than the cause of my mother’s death and a homeless liar.” He smiled sadly “If it wasn’t for Luffy and the others, she would be long dead. I try to imagine what would I feel, because if Luffy didn’t come, she _would_ die because of me.”

“You see yourself hit the rock bottom, don’t you?” mused Sanji, looking at him “I bet you think this is the worst you could be.”

“R-right…” Usopp’s look became puzzled, he eyed the other man up, visibly anticipating for his conclusion.

“Don’t bother thinking about it.” The blond stood up, wishing he could smoke “No matter how horrifying your visions are, you’ll never understand him unless you go through the same. You see, your imagination always goes easy on you – whenever you feel like it, you forget. Life is not that easy.” Not knowing what to do with his ever slightly trembling hands, he put them in the shorts’ pockets “By the way, do you have any cigarettes? I’m itching for a smoke.”

***

“And so, Sanji.” Usopp cleared his throat before stepping into the longue room “As from today, this is going to be your kingdom!”

Sanji looked around the room. It looked more like a meeting room than a kitchen and it was nothing like the top-notch places at the Baratie, but it was _his._ After so long, he would finally cook again. For the people he wanted, anything he wanted. He felt tears building up in the corners of his eyes, looking at the utensils beckoning him. A week ago, he would never had thought he would get to cook ever again. More probably, he would get both his hands broken.

“Hey, Sanji.” Usopp’s concerned gaze got him out of his thoughts “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I just remembered something.” Sanji smiled slightly, shaking his head. Usopp didn’t need to know. No one did.

“Well then, let me show you around. Here, we have…” Sanji didn’t pay attention to what the sharpshooter was saying, his fingers trailing along the counter, feeling the kitchen calling him. He wanted to cook something, anything, for a moment forget everything and lose himself in the spices and scents, leaving no place for any dark thoughts haunting him. He wanted to take out meat, cut it into tiny plasters and marinate them in tangerine juice – the ones on the deck looked really fresh – then inhale the sweet scent until his mind escaped somewhere safe.

Cooking had always been a way out of the world surrounding him - he cooked when he was a Vinsmoke, he cooked when he had nothing, he cooked when he and Zeff got off the damned rock. Now, it was just another time to forget, cooking for this strange crew who he now belonged to… _No, belong to sound too wrong after all this shit._ Who he was now part of.

“Sanji, I really get the impression something’s not right with you!” he heard Usopp’s concerned voice and snapped back into reality. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright? Do you feel faint?”

“No, I’m really fine, I mean it.” Sanji raised both his hand up, as if showing he had nothing to hide “It’s just that cooking brings back a lot of memories, I’ve been a cook a very long time.”

“Hmm, I won’t push you on this one, but at least try to listen when someone’s explaining.” Usopp looked nothing like convinced “I don’t know what happened to you, but if you ever feel like _not_ becoming the cook, you can always–“

“No.” the word snapped out of Sanji’s mouth before he knew it “I want this job. I really do.”

“You know, Luffy won’t kill you if you try to change your deal…”

“It has nothing to do with the promise.” Sanji shook his head “I wasn’t lying when I said I was a chef. Now, if you could, I’d like to start working on something. Dinner won’t make itself, right?”

***

“Sanji!” he heard Luffy’s loud voice calling his name “Is there any meat left?”

“You swallowed it whole, you bottomless pit.” He said back, picking up the plates left after the meal “There’s nothing more.”

“But I’m the captain!” came a loud whine.

“That’s right. Now, take responsibility for the rest of us and don’t make us starve to death!” Nami smacked the captain in the head with her palm “Do you even know how expensive it will be to replace? You always eat all of our savings!”

“I eat when I’m hungry! It’s not my fault!”

“I will be out of money if you keep inhaling everything like a damn whale!”

“It’s okay, Nami-san.” Said Sanji softly, calming the navigator down “I can make something for him for the scrapes we have left. It’s a chef’s duty to make sure no one is hungry.”

“Sanji-kun, you really are too kind for this dumbass.” Nami-san put her hands on her hips, shaking her head “You should limit his rations sometimes.”

“I won’t let him go around starving.” Sanji shook his head “I’m sorry, but it’s not a rule I will bend, Nami-san.”

“You two are impossible.” Whined the navigator “Have it your way. But if we run out of sources before the next island, don’t ask for my mercy.”

“You’re beautiful even when you’re threatening me.” Mused the chef, turning back and putting the plates in the sink. Nami-san was, indeed, a beauty, not to mention her intelligence and sleight. It wasn’t the type of person you could fool so easily or lie to, perhaps because she had already experienced all of it before. Lies, deceit, violence… on this deck, those seemed less uncommon than showering or fishing. Although none of them was a victim to the world – if it shoved them, they stood up and shove it back, like Zoro once said. It was truly a ship of survivors.

***

“You drink, shitty cook?” he heard a grunt behind his back, and saw Zoro with two bottles of some alcohol in his hands “It doesn’t taste that good alone.”

“Why not?” shrugged the chef, looking outside. It was already dark, the only source of light being the moonlight. Hopefully, there were no clouds.

They both climbed into the crow’s nest, looking at the calm waves gently rocking the Going Merry. The view was truly splendid, the stars’ reflections dancing in the ocean, swirling in pirouettes, slightly swaying. Or rather – the view would be splendid, if he liked it at night. Truth be known, he hated the dark.

It wasn’t a childhood fear he was born with that was becoming weaker as time passed. Dark was the cell the Vinsmokes threw him in, dark were the waves that swallowed him when he was thrown overboard, dark were the nights spent with Zeff on the rock, it was always after dark when the most customers showed up. Every time it went dark, some small part of him wanted to curl into a ball and disappear. Through all his hard talk and actions, he was still just a terrified kid.

“Don’t like the dark, huh?” the swordsman grinned slyly, opening his bottle and taking quite an impressive sip “Reminds of something scary?”

“Shut up.” Sanji copied the other man’s actions, grimacing when he tasted the alcohol. _Cheap sake._ Now he knew where the pirates’ bad breath came from. “Is that why you dragged me here?”

“I told you, the sake tastes better when not alone.” Zoro shook his head, looking far into the land “By the way, Usopp said you wanted cigarettes. We don’t have any.”

“That’s too bad.” Sighed the chef “At least you have a full stock of alcohol, lucky you.”

“Right.” Nodded the mosshead, taking another long sip “We came across a floating restaurant a while ago and the owner was kind enough to give us some of the sake.” Sanji’s eyes widened.

“You’ve been at the Baratie?” he asked, feeling his blood rush. If, by any chance, the man he met was Zeff, and he _was_ alright…

“Oh, you know the place?” the swordsman eyebrow raised “They have really good food, you should try it someday.”

“The food’s shit, unless it’s made by that shitty geezer.” Sanji shook his head, putting the bottle down “Is he okay? One leg, mustache, incredibly long hat…”

“Yeah.” Zoro nodded slightly “You’ve been there?”

“I was the sous-chef.” Sanji held back a sigh of relief. Zeff was alive, they lied to him. It must’ve been a bluff, a trick they wanted to break him with. He cursed himself for believing such nonsense. “Thought he finally popped his clogs, that shitty geezer.”

“Why did you leave?” Zoro’s eyes narrowed “From a sous-chef of a five-star restaurant to a stray dog bleeding out from a gunshot. Not quite the common scenario.” Sanji froze for a moment, before taking a large sip from the bottle in his hand.

“Life sucks sometimes.” He said bluntly “Anyway, you must’ve done something bad to the man if he gave you such shit to drink.” A cracked smile spread across his features.

“It’s better than coloured piss you call wine.” Said Zoro back, frowning “Seriously though, you didn’t leave because you wanted to, right?”

“…Right.” Admitted Sanji reluctantly. He didn’t like where this was going. Zoro looked at him with those dark eyes, examining his face, but soon leaned back, looking at the stars.

“Well then, you’re not much different from the rest of us.” Another sip “A murderer, a thief, a liar… don’t we fit the perfect description of pirates?” he smiled slightly “Wonder who else would join us. A junkie? A debtor? A whore? A freak?” out of the corner of his eye, he was watching Sanji, as if he was looking for some sort of reaction “Not that anyone here could judge them. We’re pirates, not priests, there are no good among us.”

“You seem like quite the tolerant person.” Mused Sanji, teasing the other man.

“If I wasn’t I would have to hate myself.” Shrugged the swordsman “There are people I wouldn’t tolerate, though… rapists, people killing for pleasure, human traffickers, drug lords… you know, the people responsible for this whole shit. Have you ever seen someone getting hooked up or selling their body willingly?” Sanji didn’t respond, taking another sip. This conversation wouldn’t be possible if they were both sober. Not if he was sober, because that would fucking drive him crazy.

“You’re not saying all of this because you want me to feel better on Merry.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Don’t make a fool of me. I know that wherever you were, it was worse than here. Merry’s a good ship, I trust her.” Said the swordsman, emptying the bottle. “Sake’s out, time out. I’m not good at talking without a full bottle in hand.”

“Take mine, damn alcoholic.” Sanji handed the other man his half-emptied bottle “I’m not going to finish it anyway, I have to get up early and make your lazy ass breakfast.”

***

Sanji hummed quietly, turning to the pan and flipping the pancakes he’d been working on for some time now. It was already past dawn, but the others should be asleep for a little longer – he wanted to see their smiling faces when they would find out breakfast was ready and waiting for them. For some reason, he wanted to see them happy.

Turning to the pot with melting chocolate, he tried to shake off the feeling of anxiety rising inside him. Fear shamelessly blooming inside him every time he thought about happiness. What if the true reason before preparing the breakfast wasn’t to make Nami-san and the others happy, what if it was just a greedy need for attention and gratitude? Could he be doing all of this stuff only because _he_ wanted to feel better? Did he really sink that low?

They would often tell him how selfish and hopeless person he was, that it was no wonder he hit the rock bottom at the age of nineteen, so young. That no one would ever accept such a failure. He wasn’t dumb enough to fall for their words, but a lie told often enough becomes the truth. Thanks to that, and that man’s parenting, he couldn’t help but doubt himself whenever he did something for someone. _Whenever he was happy._

***

Time passed slowly on Going Merry. It was the best thing, he lived every hour to its fullest by just doing his deeds. Cooking, serving doing the dishes, interacting with the others. It almost seemed unreal, but the chilly breeze welcoming him in the morning proved it wasn’t just a dream. He wondered how long that would last – the peaceful days of slow sailing across the seas. He saw the scars on Luffy and Zoro’s bodies, they fought quite many battles in his life. The best proof of it was the sword aiming right at his throat slicing the air itself, along with the second one blocking his hit. With surgical precision.

“Took you long enough to recover, cook.” Grunted the swordsman when Sanji dodged his cut “I thought I would have to fight you with only one sword forever.”

“Wait a little longer and four of them won’t be enough, shitty swordsman.” Snapped back the chef with a smirk on his lips. He always let out all the negative thoughts, all this shitty pressure pinning him down once he started moving and adrenaline buzzed through his veins.

“You wish.” Snapped Zoro, before charging at him again “Wait before I become the world’s greatest swordsman.”

“With what you’ve got, I hope you’ll make it alive after fighting some Marine captains, moss-for-brains.” Taunted him Sanji, but they both knew this was a blatant lie. Not only had Zoro been working hard his whole life to achieve his goal, but he also possessed a shitty dose of talent, which Sanji couldn’t miss to notice.

Sometimes, he compared the swordsman’s fighting to what he was taught as a kid. What he was _forced_ to learn. It was different – _their_ swordsmanship was brutal, dull and hollow compared to his. They were simply swinging their swords, with perfect form and technique, but that was it. Zoro’s swords were like an extension of his limbs, of himself. It was hard to put in words, but during the fight they became one.

Zoro’s style of fighting wasn’t about simply cutting and slashing – it was way more complex, like art. Judging from the swordsman’s being, Sanji was about eighty-percent sure the other man hadn’t realized that, but for him, someone who had encountered emotionless monsters fighting without a trace of feelings poured onto their blades, it was quite noticeable.

He knew little about swordsmanship. Mostly how to hold a sword and cut so it hurts, although he would _never_ admit. It was an ability he would gladly discard if he had the chance to, because as a chef, he treasured his hands. They were sacred. But fighting Zoro brought him alleviation – he could then see that anything could turn into a work of art if in right hands. He would never give the other man the satisfaction of being complimented like that, though.

“Okay, that’s enough for today, curlybrow.” Said the swordsman after a couple of more slashes “You have to be alive enough to feed our captain, after all.”

“Huh?” Sanji raised an eyebrow “Is someone here out of strength and tries to find excuses?”

“What did you say, shit-cook?”

“What you heard, mosshead.”

“Sanji-kun!” Nami’s call interrupted the fight “Could you please no ruin the dressings that Usopp made you? He’s not going to take it lightly if you rip them _again._ ”

“I’m sorry, Nami-san.” Sanji smiled apologetically “The algae needed a reminder how to treat women.”

“You two are hopeless.” She sighed, putting a hand to her forehead “Anyway, try not to open the wound. It can end pretty badly for you, you know?”

“Yeah, I know, I know.” He tried to calm her down a little. Nami-san was shitty fantastic when she was worried about him, but her perfection shone even stronger when she wasn’t. One thing he noticed, she was always there when he fought Zoro, stopping the fight in the middle.

“She’s keeping an eye on you.” Zoro smirked, sheathing his sword “And me.”

“Why would she care about such a barbarian?” Sanji threw the words in the air, not specifying who exactly they were about.

“She was there when I found you.” Exclaimed the swordsman. Sanji’s eyes widened “She thought you were a goner, you were literally bleeding out, perhaps that’s why she’s so concerned. In fact, we talked about it a couple of times… more like she scolded me to go easy on you.”

“And you listened to her?” the chef raised an eyebrow, watching the swordsman and waiting for him to continue. He cursed himself for letting a lady see him in such a miserable state, but there was no use crying over the spilt milk. Besides, it was fantastic of her to care about him in such a way, it made his heartbeat fasten.

“Am I still using one sword?” Zoro’s fangs flashed in an roguish smile “I know you wouldn’t like it anyway. Once you’re completely healed, we’ll have a serious duel. Crushing you injured is only half the fun.”

“You wish, shitty swordsman.” Sanji shook his head “I’ll get you on your back before you’ll get the chance to think about drawing one of your swords.”

“Yeah, right.” The swordsman chuckled quietly “I’m looking forward to seeing that, shit-cook.” Sanji smirked, tucking his hands in the pockets and looking at the ocean surrounding them. Once he would be back to full strength, he would gladly duel the swordsman with his three swords. It would be one hell of a good fight. In fact, sparring with the man was really satisfying. He felt like in a real battle, Zoro would make a great partner. _Perhaps one day._ If he plucks the courage to get over the shit in his head and sail with them, freely.


	3. Lingering scent of the past

“Nami-san, here’s your fruit salad.” He leaned over the sunbathing navigator with a small glass bowl filled with fresh fruit, mostly tangerines because the food supplies were quite poor. They would have to stop somewhere within two weeks, he assumed. It was quite a shame he wasn’t able to afford more for the navigator. She deserved the best, like all of them.

“Thank you very much, Sanji-kun.” She smiled widely, taking her sunglasses off and changing her position to sitting “It smells beautiful. You must’ve put a lot of tangerines there.”

“It’s not like I had much choice.” He mused, handing her the bowl “Even though you don’t eat much fruit, there isn’t much left. I had to use more tangerines if I wanted to maintain the balance for longer.”

“I see, you thought about everything.” She said, patting him on the shoulder “You’re a great chef, it’s such a relief we have someone as responsible on board.”

He only smirked slightly at those words, but felt warmth spreading all over his body. It wasn’t that he thought he was somewhat special or anything, there were many cooks and chefs out on the seas who could easily tell which ingredients should be spared, but the thought itself of being appreciated, being _needed_ made him feel on top of the world. The thought he wasn’t just a ballast to this crew.

“Thank you.” He simply said, taking a seat next to the navigator and involuntarily reaching his hand for a pack of smokes. _Shit._

“Old habits die hard, am I right?” asked Nami, smirking. He hummed quietly, nodding “It’s a pity we don’t have cigarettes on board, I guess it’s quite bad.”

“Don’t worry about that.” He shook his head. Point taken, he was itching for a smoke, but not having none was still way better than what they thought was amusing – letting him suffer withdrawal only to force a whole pack into him at once, then repeat. He was amazed it hadn’t made him swear off cigarettes for good, well, it was still better than suffering from hunger. “Next time, I could make you a sorbet or orangette. I bet you’d like those.”

“Try it and I’ll debt you a thousand beri.” She chuckled, but he could feel the teeny-weeny icy note in the statement. “I’d always choose regular tangerines rather than orangette, it has much more flavor. And I hate ice cream, just so you know.”

“Then I guess we have something in common.” He sighed with a smile, looking up in the sky “I noticed you like making people indebted to you. An interesting habit.”

“Yeah, right. The others think it’s because I just like money.” Nami smiled slightly, seeming distant “But you know, there’s one specific reason why I’m always making sure they owe me money. This way they can never leave me.” Sanji raised his eyebrows slightly at her words “Don’t take me wrong, I don’t want to make them my slaves or anything, it’s just that–“

“I know.” He said with an assuring smile “I’d never think so lowly about a woman, let alone you in particular. No one in this world wants to be alone. That’s just how things work.” With one swift move, he was on his feet again, looking on the deck. Luffy and Usopp were fishing together, laughing and pointing at some particularly big waves, whilst Zoro was peacefully taking a nap. _As long as she’s there, she will never be lonely._

“I see.” She dug her fork into a piece of tangerine, lifting it up so that it reflected the sun rays, exposing it’s vivid hue “It looks like we have more in common that meets the eye.”

“It surely does.” He hummed “So, a cocktail next time?”

“Sounds perfect to me.”

***

Smoothly, he reached for the pan and with one move flipped the pancake which landed perfectly in its place with grace. A small smile made its way onto his lips. He still could do it after such a long break, luckily. He could still remember when he tried to copy Zeff doing it – so nonchalantly, as if it required no effort at all. Of course, he was always extremely careful, because he couldn’t afford wasting food, and a drop on the floor always caused him a smack of the wooden leg. Those hits brought back good memories, though.

“Oh, that was amazing!” he heard Usopp’s voice “You know, one day when I arrived at the Pancake Island with my crew, I challenged its king to a pancake flipping duel. After six hundred twenty-seven flipped pancakes, he gave up, but his minions wanted revenge, so I had to duel all of them one-on-one. And I did it all single-handedly!”

“I assume you won.” The chef smirked, holding back a chuckle. Usopp’s stories, even though they were purely unbelievable, always managed to get him in a good mood. There was something about them that made him unable to hold back a smile.

“Of course, it was all but a warm-up for the Great Captain Usopp.” He smiled slyly, walking closer “Speaking of which, my great captain instincts are telling me you’ve been spending a lot of time cooking recently.”

“What if?” Sanji’s eyebrow raised as he narrowed his eyes a bit. He was wondering what the other man was up to, especially that he had only seen him serious a couple of times, mostly within twenty-four hours after him waking up on Going Merry “I told you – I’m a chef, I love cooking.”

“Sure you do.” Usopp hummed meaningfully, shaking his head “I’m not much of a cook, but if I were to judge, I would say it looks like a desperate try on being accepted by the captain.” The actual chef remained untouched by the comment, only making moves a little stiffer than before. Damn it, just how hard hiding things from those people was?

“I guess there’s no way I could compete with the King of Liars, huh?” he said quietly, making sure the sniper heard it.

“I’m pretty sure you’ve spelled ‘the Great Captain Usopp’ wrong.” He cocked his head to the side.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve heard both Nami-san and Zoro call you this at least once since I got here.” He shrugged, at the same time smirking tellingly.

“Anyway.” The sniper cleared his throat “You know, Luffy doesn’t pay attention to who you were. The past stays within the past, in can’t be changed. What he really cares for, is who you are now. Who you have become.” He smiled roguishly “Well, it’s not like any of us thinks differently.”

“…Sure, I’ll remember.” Sanji turned his head back to the pancake, watching it become spongy and perfectly fried. Just how it should look like.

“Now that we’ve settled things, try to spend some more time with us.” He heard Usopp heading towards the door “It’s not like we’ll starve eating three times a day instead of five. Plus, Nami would kill someone if she finds an empty pantry when we arrive at the next island.”

***

Hands _._ They were everywhere, reaching out to him, grabbing his hair and pulling at it. Restraining his wrists and ankles, making him unable to move. _Defenseless._ Leaving him vulnerable and exposed to whoever came close. He jerked, trying to break free, but they didn’t let go. They never did. He tried to look around, but there was nothing. Empty space, surrounding him.

_Fierce, I like it. Those are more fun to break._

He froze, recognizing the voice. Its owner was somewhere near, fuck, probably close. His skin crawled as he felt a pair of eyes piercing through him as he was unable to make a move, the hands holding him down. Another voice echoed through the darkness

_You were right to wait until dark. Normally, that old man would cause a lot of trouble. We wouldn’t like that, would we?_

Zeff had to be somewhere close. Sanji tried to rotate his head, to find the exit. He started screaming as loud as he could, but another hand covered his mouth and nose, making it hard to breathe. It made panic rise inside him. He felt like drowning, his lungs burning for air.

_Man, we had such luck there were no other waiters. We wouldn’t meet you if you were stuck in the kitchen the whole day, Sanji. It would be such a shame, shame._

He gasped for air, trashing in his restraints. The hands were gone now, replaced by chains and a gag, muffling his cries and screams, leaving his efforts fruitless. Old man, anyone, help him! He didn’t want to go with those people, he was terrified. They were now so close he could hear their breaths on his neck. Anyone… Luffy!

_Hush now, our boss will be thrilled to see you work for him. Oh, I can see that so much._

LUFFY!

His eyes snapped open as he gasped loudly, feeling the fresh oxygen filling his hurting lungs. He was trembling, even though he was by no means cold. Holy shit, he hadn’t been so terrified in a long time. It all felt so real, way too fucking real. He quickly sat up, running a hand through his hair, as if making sure no one was holding it anymore. His cheeks were wet, like the side of his pillow. Mother of god, the last time he had such a nightmare was probably a few weeks after he had left the Baratie.

He couldn’t stop shaking, images from the dream still flashing through his mind. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. The human brain only remembers a small strap of the dream, most of it for about five minutes. It was going to be gone soon. It was going to be over.

He passed a quick glance outside the window. It was already after dawn, since he wasn’t really going to go to sleep again, he could as well start working on the breakfast, maybe make something really sophisticated, given that he still had time. Or do some stretching and training, yeah, that would be nice. A few moments later he left his room, changed into his usual Going Merry’s attire, meaning some clothes that earlier belonged to Zoro but were now given to him. Well, more like the only size that would fit him.

The breeze caressed his skin gently as he stepped on the upper deck, wind messing with his hair. It was truly a beautiful morning, even if his heart rate was still fastened and the images couldn’t leave his mind. He felt peace slowly filling his mind, pushing away the dark thoughts. Making him feel light and filled with the early sunshine. Sunshine was his favorite time of the day. A new beginning. A dead end to some chapters he would rather never open again. A chance to forget.

Although, like all people, he had things he never wanted to forget. Sunshine brought back all the days spent at the Baratie, where preparations started early and cleaning lasted until late night hours. It also reminded him of the days he spent on the rock, with the old man on the other side. It was a truly horrifying experience, but not one he would like to forget. He learned what hunger was, how important food was, at the same time how little value money had. Most importantly, he learned death doesn’t have to come from hands of people.

With the corner of his eye, he noticed the news coo arriving. He regretted not preparing a snack for it, even if it never accepted gifts from strangers, he knew it would with time. Just like mice and rats. He flipped through the newspaper nonchalantly, looking for some news that might had interested him. Nothing. It kind of relieved him, given that the ratio of bad news he could hear to the good ones was insane.

Luckily, nothing was said about the Baratie, which meant the old geezer and the rest of morons were alright. He smiled slightly. He wished he could let them know he was okay somehow. Perhaps he would ask Nami to lend him some paper and ink later. She would surely charge him for it, but if it was to keep the two of them close, he wouldn’t object to it. Not at all.

“Hey, Sanji.” He heard Luffy’s voice behind him “Today’s food was great! I’m so full!”

“Thanks, captain.” The chef smiled, turning around and looking at the other man “Hopefully you won’t run around on an empty stomach until the evening.”

“Yeah, for sure.” A wide grin spread on Luffy’s face as he chuckled “You know, Sanji, I heard from Usopp that you smoke. We’ll get you some cigarettes at our next stop, so wait a little longer, okay?” Sanji’s mouth opened as he wanted to protest, but the captain either didn’t notice or ignored it “And Zoro told me you were a super important person at the floating restaurant, so I wanted to get you a three-piece suit, you know, it’ll really match you! What do you think?”

“There’s no need for such things.” The chef smiled apologetically “I don’t smoke anymore, and suits are really expensive, plus it’s very warm here anyway, so some T-shirts and shorts would be perfect.” he knew how Nami-san always told Usopp they didn’t have enough money for his inventions, plus he still didn’t know if he wanted to stay on that ship, if they would accept him if they knew. He could eventually withdraw the smokes, so it really wasn’t a problem, even though his skin was crawling for one.

“Sanji.” Luffy looked him in the eye “What’s the problem? We can get you nice clothes. We can get you cigarettes if you like them. We can get you anything, it’s not a problem. You’re our friend.” The chef couldn’t stop his eyes from widening a bit, and he had to put his hands in the shorts’ pockets. Luffy didn’t have to see them trembling.

_You’re not worthy of having friends._

_No one would ever want to make friends with someone like you._

_Pretty from the outside, rotten on the inside. Like a rose, beautiful indeed, but stabs when you get too close. That’s why no one likes holding roses. Just like no one would like keeping you close._

It was the very first time anyone called him that way. The first fucking time in his life, someone said he was their _friend._ Sure, Zeff was like a father to him, and the other morons at the Baratie were all great people, but they hadn’t called him a friend once. He bit his lip slightly, eyeing Luffy up. What could he possibly see in him that made him think such way? He knew nothing about him.

“You don’t know me.” He shook his head “You can’t know if I don’t leave when we reach the nearest island.”

“Of course I know you!” Sanji froze, completely puzzled. So many feelings rushed through his head, fighting for dominance “You’re, my chef! Don’t worry about the money, Nami already agreed on it. I’ll get you anything, Sanji. We’re comrades, right?”

He clenched his fists inside the pockets, feeling heat building up in his eyes. This man, Luffy, knew nothing. Nothing about who the chef was, where had he been, what horrible things had he done, but he just didn’t _care._

_“You know, Luffy doesn’t pay attention to who you were. The past stays within the past, in can’t be changed. What he really cares for, is who you are now. Who you have become.”_

“You know, Sanji.” Luffy smiled in an assuring way “If there’s anything you really want, tell me. You can wish for anything. I promise I’ll make it come true.” Sanji wondered how much truth was in those words. It’s not like he doubted his captain’s intentions, it was his wish.

“If so, what I want…” he looked down, taking a deep breath “is freedom.” He didn’t look up, not moving at all “ _If_ I decide to stay with you, I want you to promise me no matter what happens, you’ll take me back to Merry or whatever ship we’ll be sailing on.” It was such a selfish wish he wanted to laugh himself in the face. He really was a terrible person, taking advantage of others’ kindness and forcing them to drown with him.

“I like this wish.” Luffy hummed slowly, not stopping to smile “Okay then, Sanji. I promise you’ll always sail with me, no matter what happens.” Sanji’s eyes widened slightly at the ease which the words were said with. Did Luffy not know how serious the matter was, or was he just so self-confident? His eyes itched.

With one swift move, he turned away, heading towards the lounge. The place where no one would bother him for a while.

“Sanji, is something wrong?” he heard Luffy’s puzzled voice.

“I forgot to put the fruit leftovers in the fridge.” He replied quickly, fastening his pace “They’re going to rot if I don’t do something about it.” Luffy didn’t have to see what he didn’t want him to. He just hoped he wouldn’t bump into anyone on his way to the kitchen. He himself wasn’t quite sure why. Perhaps he was just scared to be happy.

***

“Land ho, everyone!” shouted Usopp, attracting everyone’s attention. Sanji looked out of the longue, stopping halfway in the meal preparations. The island on the horizon was quite small, but he could clearly see it was inhabited – colorful buildings were standing out, there was no forest from the side they were approaching, so he assumed it was a port.

“Finally.” He heard Nami-san sighing “I’ve been slowly running out of ink. Sanji-kun, how are our supplies?”

“The meat’s almost gone.” He slowly nodded, reminding what else was needed “We also need fruit, vegetables and fish. Other ingredients should be enough until we reach the next one. Also, I’d like to look for some spices.”

“Alright, could you handle the food shopping then?” she asked. The chef nodded. He didn’t need anyone buckling around under his feet when selecting ingredients. “That’s great. Luffy, you’ll go with me, I want to buy a few things without worrying that you already got into trouble.”

“I’ll stay here.” Zoro lazily opened one of his eyes, the ruckus visibly disturbing his nap “You guys have fun.”

“Nami, let’s throw up a huge party!” Luffy threw his fists in the air “It’ll be fun!”

“That’s a great idea!” Usopp’s face broke into a large grin “There will be a huge campfire and dancing. I’ll get some people from the town to join us. Everyone will hear the tales of the Great Captain Usopp conquering the seven seas!”

“Alright, alright.” Sighed the navigator “I guess a small celebration once in a while can’t hurt, especially that now we have a new member aboard.”

“Then let’s make it Sanji’s joining party!” said the captain enthusiastically.

“I still don’t know if I’m going to join you.” Pointed out the chef “I only said I’ll follow you to the next island.”

“Come on, Sanji!” Luffy opened an eye, looking at him with excitement “This is going to be a great feast! I can’t wait!”

“Sanji-kun, will you need anyone to come with you?” asked Nami with a concerned look “You’ll have to buy extra food, you better take Usopp or Zoro to help you carry the bags.”

“It’s okay, Nami-san.” He gave her an assuring smile “I’ll handle it. You guys take care of yourselves.”

***

“That’s surely a lot, young man.” Said the saleslady, giving him a concerned look. She wasn’t young anymore, but her warm attitude and bright smile made Sanji’s heart melt. Women were beautiful no matter what age they were, each one in her own unique way. True masterpieces. “Don’t you need help? I have a grandson your age, he could help you.”

“Thank you, ma’am, but I’ll handle it.” He smiled slightly, picking up the bags. They were heavy as hell, but he didn’t want to cause any trouble, the ship wasn’t far away. “I’m sure your son has his deeds to do.”

“You’re right.” She nodded politely “He’s a fisherman, he sleeps whenever he’s not at work. Such a tired, hard-working man.”

“A fisherman?” Sanji hummed quietly “Then he really has it tough. You must be proud of him.”

“I am. Even if he’s exhausted, he always tries his best and returns with a smile.” The lady smiled warmly, visibly remembering her grandson. “And what do you do for a living?”

“…I’m a chef.” Answered Sanji after a little too long pause. He liked this version much better. “I make sure my crewmates eat properly and don’t suffer from scurvy.”

“I see.” She hummed “Then you two would surely get along well. I bet you also know a lot about fish. Well, I won’t be stopping you anymore. Go feed your friends.” _Friends._ Sanji smiled widely.

“Thank you. Have a nice day, ma’am.” He said, turning around and walking away. He whistled happily.

A party, huh. He smiled slightly, imagining Luffy swallowing the food – made from top-notch ingredients he managed to find at the old lady’s market, god bless her – until he was full and round like a beach ball. It was the perfect type of person to feed for a chef – never leaving anything, always satisfied. He was way too lucky to get on Going Merry.

Suddenly, his attention was dragged by a sound coming from near. A low, muffled chuckle. He stopped in his tracks, his gaze piercing through the shadows cast buy multiple houses. He had a very bad feeling about it, something at the back of his mind ringing an alarm bell. It couldn’t be what he thought it was, _who_ he thought it was. It was purely impossible.

Not thinking much, he turned around, walking back the path. He was not going to tempt fate, and he had to get to Merry. Quickly.

It was shortly after he took the second turn when he felt a hand on his mouth and someone pulling him into another alley. Low chuckles rang in his ears as his back hit the brick wall, pulling a loud gasp from him. Shopping bags fell on the ground, some fruit rolling out.

He tried to struggle with the person holding him, but as soon as other faces came into his sight, he froze, unable to move. He knew those faces, and those people knew him. Panic started to rise inside him. It wasn’t happening, he wasn’t going to go back there!

“Seems someone here didn’t expect to meet a bunch of old friends, huh?” one of the men grinned widely, noticing the chef’s uneasiness. “Thought you could run away from us, blondie?”

It couldn’t be real, he’d rather end his life then and there than go with them. He widened his eyes, unable to move or talk back. A fucking dream, it had to be. There were fates worse than death, and one of them he had just escaped. “I’m sure that Boss would be pleased with your return. He was quite angry after those pirates nearly destroyed his business. Well, perhaps he’ll calm down a little when be we bring you back.” The man gave Sanji a disgusting smile which made him shudder “Take him.”

“W-wait!” he managed to choke out, immediately cursing himself for how weak his voice sounded. “If we go now, those pirates will start looking for me. You saw how they demolishing they are. I’ll come with you, but give me time until dawn. I’ll make sure they won’t cause any problems.” He took a deep breath, watching the men visibly thinking about his words.

“Fine.” Said one of them “Having those off our necks would make things easier. We wouldn’t have to sail so fast, thus enjoy ourselves a little longer, right?” his words made Sanji want to throw up. He hated this man, all of them, and he hated himself for letting this happen “You’ll leave them a short message. Take this.” He threw a notebook and a pen on the ground in front of him. The chef picked it up, looking at their faces, than at the blank page.

“You didn’t think you could write it alone, did you? We know you and your fucking tricks, you’re going to do it here and now, so we can see it.” Demanded one of the men “Make it short.”

Sanji’s heart came up to his throat as he started writing. Luffy told him he could give him anything. He promised. They were about to have many adventures together, Luffy was going to become the Pirate King and Sanji was to watch it happen. Then, he would find All Blue and open a restaurant there.  
This was _not_ how things were supposed to turn out, for fuck’s sake.

***

“I guess nothing’s wrong.” The man checking the note put it into his pockets “We’ll make sure this one gets on your little excuse for a ship. Don’t think we trust you enough to deliver it yourself.” He said, noticing Sanji’s puzzled look.

“You know what amuses me the most in all this?” asked another one, shaking his head and smiling “That you thought you could make friends with anyone. Let me tell you one thing – no one, _no one_ would ever want to make friends with you… or wait, you never told them, right?” Sanji’s lack of response made the man chuckle lowly “So they don’t even know, huh? Nicely played, I have to admit. If they found out… I would love to see their disappointed faces, full of disgust.” He laughed when Sanji gave him an icy stare “They would despise you, like all people should.”

He wasn’t telling the truth, he couldn’t be. Sanji knew Luffy and the others and they would never despise him because of who he was. They knew what it felt like, knew the struggle and loneliness, just knew it… right?

“Not that it matters to me, though.” Continued the man “Since all this circus will soon be over. Remember, if you try anything funny, those pirates will all be killed before dawn.” Sanji didn’t react, he knew this threat would come, he was fully aware they would take Luffy and the others hostages, because that was one of the very few things he could still lose. He watched the men go away, clenching his fists until they felt completely numb.

They trampled some of the fruit that rolled from his bags, making them completely inedible.


	4. One last night

“Hey, Sanji!” Usopp waved at him energetically “Did you get everything you needed?”

“Yeah.” He smiled slightly, showing him the bags “Even more than I hoped for.”

“That’s great!” the sniper grinned widely “You know Luffy’s going to swallow everything in his sight, so don’t worry. Man, I’m so excited!” Before Sanji had the chance to ask what actually was the reason behind Usopp’s excitement, he saw Nami-san’s gorgeous figure on the upper deck, beckoning him.

“Sanji-kun!” she called him “Could you please come here? I want to show you something!”

“Of course, my dear.” he said, quickly making his way to her. She smiled slyly, disappearing behind her quarter’s door, only to return a moment later, with a present in her hands.

“Open it.” She encouraged him, reaching her arms so he could take the wrapped gift. Sanji’s eyes widened as he carefully received it. He would had never expected anyone here to give him a wrapped gift, holy shit! He carefully opened it, taking out what seemed absolutely unreal for him.

A perfect-tailored, top-notch, pitch black three-piece suit. Along with an ocean blue, striped shirt.

“Luffy and I had been searching for hours to find this one.” Nami said with a warm smile “Luffy said he wouldn’t tolerate anything less for you.” He stood there speechless for a moment, feeling the guilt rising inside him. They spent their money and time to get him this. Normally, he would be thrilled and grateful for such a wonderful gift, but right now, he couldn’t. That’s because, things were going to fuck up completely within the next twenty-four hours, goddamn.

“I… thank you.” He simply said, not able to get anything else out of him. The suit was flawless, he was sure under normal circumstances it would serve him for months, even years. “It’s beautiful.”

“Are you sure everything’s alright with it?” the navigator cocked her head slightly “You seem odd. Did something happen?”

“No, I’m sorry I made you feel bad.” He shook his head with a smile “I just don’t know what to say. I didn’t expect you guys to do so much for me.”

“It wasn’t really an effort.” She smiled widely “We’ve been planning to get you new clothes anyway. There’s more waiting for you in your room, although they are mostly casual clothes, this is the most elegant thing we managed to find on such a small island. I managed to convince Zoro to be the model soon after you left.”

“You shouldn’t have.” He said in disbelief. It sounded like a polite formula to use instead of ‘thank you’, but this time he meant it. Unfortunately.

“Don’t mind it. Luffy has another present for you. You should change and go see him soon.” Nami’s smile turned into a sly smirk Sanji had got to know quite well since getting on Going Merry. He hummed quietly, heading towards his room, clenching his fingers around the suit as if someone was going to come and try to pull it out of his hands any moment then.

***

“Whoa, Sanji!” Luffy’s face broke into the widest grin Sanji had ever seen “You look great in that suit! I knew it was a good choice.”

“Yeah, it’s really great, I love it.” Responded the chef with a smirk. Similar to Usopp, Luffy had something in him that always got him into a better mood. “Nami-san said I should come to you as soon as I change.”

“Ah, right.” Luffy reached inside his pocket, pulling out two small boxes “Here, take these. We tried to find you a lighter, but there were none of good quality in sight.”

Sanji carefully took both of the boxes in his hands, looking at them with his eyes widened. First one, cigarettes. Oh god, something inside him itched for one instantly. He didn’t recognize the brand, but when he opened it, he noticed the smokes were thin and well-rolled. Fantastic. The other one was filled with matches, the box itself looking great, with paintings of waves and fish decorating it. He looked closer. The sea creatures were very detailed, he could even recognize some of the species.

“You know, the old man selling those told us that this box was the one he was the most proud of. It shows something special, although neither Nami or I could quite get what he was talking about. We thought you would, because you know fish well…”

“It’s the All Blue.” Whispered Sanji trailing his finger from one fish to another. If he earlier had any doubts, they all now disappeared “The mythical sea where fish from all oceans mix. A chef’s paradise.”

“Paradise?” the captain cocked his head “Sanji, you’re a chef! Would you like to go there?”

“Yeah, it’s my dream.” He nodded. “To find it. People say that it’s just a fairy tale told children and young cooks, but I know it exists. I’m sure of it.”

“I see. So, it’s just like One Piece.” Luffy put a hand on his hat, smiling to himself “I’ve decided. During my quest to become the Pirate King, I’ll definitely sail to the All Blue with you!”

“Ah, you shouldn’t worry about that too much.” Sanji shook his head “We could spend forever looking for it, it might still not be real. No matter how much I believe in it. You should focus on finding One Piece.”

“Huh?” Luffy gave him a puzzled look “But I want to find the All Blue too now! I want to try the fish from all oceans at once, it would be so delicious! Besides…” a roguish smirk brightened his face “What’s the point in becoming the Pirate King alone?” Sanji looked up, noticing he had completely forgotten about anything that worried him when talking to Luffy. By his side, he felt as everything was possible, even though he was well aware this bubble would pop as soon as he would be left alone with his thoughts.

“You’re probably right.” He said, pulling a cigarette out of the pack and lightening it. He inhaled the smoke deeply, feeling his stormy nerves calm down within seconds. It was so goddamn delicious he couldn’t stop himself for smiling slightly. “I didn’t say ‘thank you’ yet. Not only for the present.” _For everything all of you had done for me._

“Don’t mind it.” Luffy chuckled some “I told you, you’re one of us. You would do the same in our place. There’s a lot of adventures waiting ahead of us Sanji. I’m so happy to have you as my chef!”

“Yeah, we’re going to have a shitty load of fun together.” Sanji nodded slightly, exhaling the smoke and watching the cloud raise high into the sky. Fuck, how disgusting he was as a liar.

***

“Alright, alright, people!” Usopp raised his voice so that everyone gathered could hear him “Let’s get this party started!”

Sanji looked around, amazed with the amount of people that the Strawhats managed to invite. Thirty, maybe forty. Mostly common people, some of them brought instruments, food or alcohol. Luffy and Usopp managed to create a huge bonfire a short while ago, giving the party more climate.

“Man, this feels nostalgic.” He saw Zoro walking past him with a bottle of sake already half-emptied and a grin on his face.

“Does it?” Sanji raised an eyebrow “It’s my first time throwing a party like that.”

“Is it?” this time it was Zoro’s turn to feel surprised “I used to do it a lot back when I was practicing at my dojo. We would gather around the fire and sing songs or dance. Someone would tell us scary stories about ghosts and such. It was fun.”

“I see.” Sanji hummed, nodding. He guessed it was pretty normal for kids like Zoro to take part in such things. On the Baratie, they never made bonfires, mostly because there was no place for such things, and before he worked there… well.

“I would never have though there was a person alive who had never had a bonfire party.” The swordsman stated, eyeing Sanji up as if it was the first time they had met “You’re strange.”

“Says a man with algae on his head.” Snapped the chef, shaking his head “Not everyone has spent their childhood in a dojo listening to scary stories some drunk old man came up.”

“Screw you, shitty cook.” Zoro’s eyes narrowed. Sanji had just realized his mistake. _Fucking idiot, his friend died because he was drunk._

“Fuck, sorry.” He said quickly, putting his hands in the air “I didn’t mean to–“

“It’s okay.” The swordsman chuckled unexpectedly “You should’ve seen your face. It was brilliant! I’m not made of glass, you know? I know you didn’t mean _that_.” Before Sanji got the chance to respond, Zoro changed the topic “By the way, are you sure you can prepare enough food for all those people?”

“I’ve already made most of the snacks. Don’t underestimate me, I was the sous-chef of a renowned restaurant, the Baratie.” Sanji couldn’t hold back a victorious smirk “Preparing a meal for forty people is nothing for me.”

“Yeah, right. Sorry to disappoint you, but I guess you haven’t bought enough alcohol. I had to hide a couple of bottles for myself.” The swordsman passed a sad loo to the bottle he was holding before taking a sip and handing it to the cook “You should also have some. Suffering this night sober is not something you want to go through, trust me.”

“If I trusted you in the matter of alcohol, I would be constantly wasted.” Sanji chuckled, but still took a sip from the bottle “I still don’t understand how you can choose this over some good wine.”

“Works better when you’re surrounded by weirdos.”

“Point taken.” Another sip and the bottle was in Zoro’s hand again.

“Enough of the talk. It’s your party, cook. You should enjoy yourself the most tonight.” He said, drinking whatever was left of his sake and wiped his mouth with his arm, letting out a sigh “Man, this is the best.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Sanji nodded, suddenly feeling bitter. This night would be so fucking wonderful if _someone_ didn’t come and ruin it. Well, he was lucky to even get this one last night with the Strawhats. He had no intention of letting it go to waste.

***

“There you are, Sanji!” he heard Luffy’s voice behind him and turned around slowly, visibly annoyed “I was looking for you!”

“Good for you.” He muttered, looking back. That gorgeous lady he was talking to a moment ago was already gone. _Goddamn._ “What’s going on?”

“Usopp and Nami said to get you. He wants to play a game of some sorts.” Luffy grinned widely “He says it’s going to be fun!” Sanji shook his head with a sigh. That lady from a little ago was a perfect ten out of ten, and on top of that she was smart. Bad luck. But if the navigator was calling him specifically, it couldn’t not be worth it.

“Okay, let’s go.” He said, following his captain to one of the tables standing near the bonfire. Usopp and Nami were already there with some other men and women. On the table itself, there were five cups and a lot of dice. Sanji wondered what the game was going to be about.

“Alright, everyone! We’re now going to do some real gambling, so you better prepare your pouches to be emptied!” announced Usopp with a bright smile “This man is going to represent the Strawhat Pirates. Sanji, our ship’s chef and an unbeatable gambler. Trust me, none of us had won against him once in Liar’s Dice.” Sanji’s eyebrows raised involuntarily.

“Nami-san.” He passed a quick, disoriented look at the navigator “What’s going on?”

“You know, Sanji-kun, we’ve been running low on money recently, and my luck hasn’t been good either. We figured this would be a great chance to earn some.” She said quietly so only he could hear her through Usopp’s talking “Don’t worry, Usopp had already come up with a bluff to scare your opponents.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what the game’s about–“

“I said, no worries.” The navigator winked “Our King of Liars will take care of everything.”

“Nami, I want to play, too!” exclaimed Luffy, getting between the chef and the navigator “It seems like fun!”

“Don’t be so loud, Luffy!” shushed him Nami “I told you before: I’ve been having bad luck recently, Zoro’s probably already wasted and I can’t risk letting you or Usopp gamble with _my money._ You have to believe in Sanji-kun. Right?” she smiled politely at the captain, although Sanji noticed a dangerous spark in her eye. He was officially screwed.

“Okay! Before we start…” Usopp successfully cut the conversation “For the sake of fair play, I will now remind everyone the rules. Listen carefully, because I’m not going to repeat myself!”

“Everyone knows how to play Liar’s Dice, bard.” Exclaimed one of the men, visibly bored with the sharpshooter’s talking. Sanji raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at Nami. _Did he just call Usopp a bard?_ The navigator shrugged slightly, shaking her head helplessly. _As expected of Usopp._ The chef gulped, turning to face other players.

“As I was saying…” the Strawhat sniper effectively ignored the man “I shall now present you the rules. On my command, everyone will roll a "hand" of dice under their cup and look at their hand while keeping it concealed from the other players. The first player…” he nodded at a lady standing the closest to him “…begins bidding, announcing any face value and the minimum number of dice that the player believes are showing that value, under all of the cups in the game. Then all other player, going clockwise, can raise the bid or call the previous bidder a liar.”

“Since we’re all men and women worth our salt…” interrupted Nami “…we’re not afraid of the most restrictive rules, are we? The player may only bid a higher quantity of the same face _or_ the same quantity of a higher face.” Sanji would lie if he said the nervous glance Usopp passed her before clearing his throat didn’t make him feel a little uneasy.

“Of course!” exclaimed the sniper with a smile “I bet no one here has any objections. Go hard, or go home!” some of the players gathered cheered loudly at the words, whistling and clapping. The Strawhat chef only gave Usopp a murderous glare.

***

“Sanji-kun!” Nami waved to him, raising a glass “Is there enough for another round?”

“Of course, Nami-san!” he said enthusiastically, taking a bottle and filling her vessel “There’s more than enough for the night.”

“That’s so good.” She hummed, taking a sip “Man, there’s nothing like a welcome party once in a while!” The words caused a bittersweet feeling to raise inside Sanji’s gut. His welcome party, the proof that they accepted him, wanted him among them, perceived him as a friend. He held back a sigh thinking about what they would think when they would wake up tomorrow morning, only to find an empty kitchen and a note. “Well, the money you managed to win will last us for at least another supply restock. Toast to you and your luck, Sanji-kun!”

“To my luck.” He repeated less enthusiastically, unable to hold up the smile. His luck, huh. _There is no such thing._

Luffy promised he would give him anything. Sure, he could tell them, hell, he wanted to. Not only about the blackmail, but also his story. So they would remember him. He didn’t want to be forgotten, he didn’t want to rot there without anyone remembering he’d ever existed! But staying silent would be better. _For them._ The more memories are made the worse the goodbyes.

He was drowning. If god could give him one blessing, it would be to stay with the Strawhats _forever._

“Everyone’s really happy.” He said eventually, looking around at the rest of the crew and the gathered people, dancing around the fire or peacefully drinking till unconscious. “I hope the mood will stay with them for the next days.”

“Of course it will! Luffy’s always super excited when a new person comes aboard.” She gave him a wide grin, one that he hoped to remember forever “You too were dancing like there was no tomorrow, you know? But it’s only the beginning!”

“Was I really?” his eyebrows raised as he stared into the fire. It was most likely to be the last night like that, so there really was no tomorrow, damn it all. “Well, the night’s not young anymore. The sun will be rising soon. Nami-san, may have this last dance?” her eyes narrowed slightly, but soon a playful smile danced around her lips.

“Gladly.”

***

The sky was nicely orange when the last person has either left or fallen asleep. Sanji lit up a cigarette, inhaling the smoke with delight. It was so delicious, it calmed down his nerves, and his racing heart. He was very careful not to wake up any of his crewmates, giving each of them a long, deep look, to remember their faces as well as possible. To make himself sure it wasn’t only just a dream.

With a slow pace, he walked through what looked like a battlefield after the party, slowly exhaling the smoke and heading towards the buildings near the coast. Somewhere between them, they were waiting, and the dawn was just about to begin. He didn’t think of running away, not only because all the Strawhats were now utterly defenseless, but it was purely impossible. They would track and find him, just like they did this time.

One thing he regretted, he hadn’t emptied one of Zoro’s hidden bottles before going. He refused to drink much over the night in order not to fall asleep, and so he felt way too sober for this shit. Roronoa Zoro, the future world’s greatest swordsman. Sanji wondered if he could already call the man a friend. Nonetheless, he hoped the mosshead wouldn’t forget about him. It was one of the things he was the most scared of. _Being forgotten._

He wasn’t surprised this time when he heard the chuckles, although under all this outside composure and indifference, he was terrified and close to panic. With every step, those feelings grew stronger, making him stiffer and his breathing fastening. As soon as he turned around the corner, he felt a strong hit to the back of his head. Everything went a little fuzzy.

“Look at him.” Said one of them “A suit and cigarettes. Trying to cover up how much of a failure you are? Don’t make me laugh.” Sanji wanted to say something, talk back, but he _couldn’t._ His throat was clenched, and he was unable to move a muscle. He was still too shocked, too terrified.

“Those pirates got them for you, right?” another one chuckled, shaking his head “What a waste of money, to spend it on someone like you. Well, at least we’ll free them of you.” His disgusting smile appeared again and Sanji felt as though it was a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.

***

“Where the fuck is he.” Zoro tried to sound calm, but his inner balance was slowly beginning to shatter “Nami. Have you seen him?”

“No.” the navigator shook her head, visibly concerned and a little terrified. Zoro cursed under his breath, bursting out of the room and heading to another one. The shitty cook _had_ to be somewhere on the ship. “The last time, it was before the party ended. Zoro, what if someone came for him–“

“Perhaps he was hungry.” Suggested Luffy “And went to the city.”

“Who the hell goes out to eat something at dawn and doesn’t return for a couple of hours?” it was hard to keep his voice from raising, but Zoro managed to. It wasn’t Luffy’s fault, as well as Nami’s. It was his duty to look after the rest as the first mate. He should had kept an eye on that idiot. It hasn’t been long since they found him, it was likely that the people after him followed them, and… “I was so reckless, for god’s sake!” he cursed.

He should had been more mindful, he should had known better than to fall asleep and let the cook leave without an explanation. So far, no damage had been done to Going Merry, so the bastard was either blackmailed, kidnapped when asleep or left on his own, which the swordsman honestly refused to believe.

“It’s not your fault, Zoro.” Nami tried to calm him down, smiling weakly “Perhaps he drank too much and had fallen asleep in a strange place. Maybe we shouldn’t burst into panic straight away.” She was trying to put on a brave face, but her voice was trembling.

“Have you seen him drunk last night?” Zoro was slowly losing the remains of his cool. He knew the navigator was trying to keep up hope and morals, but they both knew something bad happened. “Have you?!”

“Zoro, stop shouting.” His raised voice didn’t seem to impress the woman, her own became colder and calmer “You couldn’t have known.”

“I _should’ve_ known.” He replied coldly “Better than to leave him on his own after so little time.”

“What are you guys talking about?” asked Luffy, with a face so serious something about it made Zoro feel uneasy. The always cheerful captain was also taking the whole situation roughly. “Sanji’s a strong guy, he was quite impressive when he fought you, Zoro.”

“Come on, Luffy.” Whined Nami, shaking her head helplessly. The swordsman didn’t have to ask her to know how bitter she felt right now. “It’s not all about strength. What if–“

“He’s a strong guy.” Repeated the captain slowly “Even when he was injured, his attacks were really powerful. I saw them with my own eyes.”

“Luffy…” the navigator tried arguing with the man, but Zoro put a hand on her shoulder, silencing her. It wasn’t the time, or the circumstances.

“You also noticed that, right Zoro? Sanji was _strong._ He was.” The captain’s face became darker, his fists clenching. “He would’ve taken down whoever came for him. He has to be okay.”

“Hey, guys!” to Zoro’s relief, they heard Usopp calling from the lounge “I found something, you all need to see it!”

***

_Hello everyone,  
Even though we had a lot of fun together, all good things come to an end.  
Luffy, thank you for letting me sail with you. You’re a great captain.  
Pirate life just wasn’t for me – I found an old friend here, we’re going to open a restaurant together. we’ll name it Mile 9._

_sanji_

“Huh?” Luffy sounded disappointed, but Nami noticed his features brightened up, as if he had just got the proof their missing chef was safe “So Sanji never wanted to stay with us for longer? I thought he was a part of the crew!”

“I don’t know myself.” Usopp scratched the back of his head, shaking his head slowly “I was also pretty sure he would stay with us, you saw how excited he was at the party. I refuse to believe that he could do something like that. Maybe it’s just a joke?”

“Who the fuck jokes about something like that?” there was a dangerous vibe in Zoro’s voice that immediately rang an alarm bell in Nami’s head. The swordsman had been like that since she had woken him up when she noticed the chef was missing. She knew the two had been close, like siblings or old friends, telling each other things not destined for any other pair of ears. She regretted not creating such a bond with Sanji. Perhaps if she knew him better, she would somehow predicted that happening.

“Zoro, calm down.” She said, taking the note from Usopp and reading it, as if not believing it was really written by the missing chef. One strange thing she noticed, Sanji-kun spelled his own name with a small letter, and the last sentence also started with one.

It couldn’t be, she would never had thought he remembered. Her eyes widened slightly.

“Holy shit.” She cursed quietly, clenching her fingers around the paper and quickly walking towards her room, straight to the map hanging on the wall. It was there, he remembered it!

“Nami, what’s wrong?” Usopp cocked his head, frowning “Have you found something in this?”

“Luffy, we have to go back.” She said slowly, looking her captain in the eye “The good news is, Sanji doesn’t and never wanted to leave the crew.”

“The bad one?” Zoro’s eyebrow raised slightly.

“He’s in trouble. It’s serious.” The words hung in the air, heavy, ringing. She didn’t have to say it twice.


	5. Abducted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sanji is held captive and the Strawhats blame themselves for letting him go.

He had no idea how long he was unconscious, but the dull yet increasing pain in his arms suggested it had already been a while. He opened his eyes, looking around the room. Surrounded by absolute darkness if not count the small beacon of light which was probably the gap between the floor and door. His arms were chained over his head, probably to the ceiling because he couldn’t feel the wall behind his back, feet were also bound, to the floor this time, and he could hear chains shackling with every attempt to move.

His suit was gone, replaced with the flooding material he’d used to hate so much. It was gentle to the touch – clearly produced to pleasure the people touching it. He cursed, thinking about the three-piece and cigarettes they stole from him. It was a present from that crew – _his_ crew. The only proof that what happened wasn’t only his imagination, that he had had friends. At least they didn’t gag him, although giving it a second thought, he’d rather that than what could come in change.

Safe for his arms, nothing was hurting him. Also, he couldn’t feel any bandages or other dressings, which could mean it hadn’t been _that_ long since he got there. Some voices could be heard from outside, mostly curses and disgusting chuckles. It felt as though reality shattered, making thousands of small cuts on him. He struggled in his restraints, trying to find a way out of them. He’d already escaped once, he could do it twice, couldn’t he?

His efforts apparently were way louder than he hoped them to be, because soon after the door opened, light unexpectedly stabbing him in the eyes. Three figures entered the room, and soon one of the lit a match, lighting up some lamps hanging on the walls. Sanji gave them the most cold, murderous look he could afford.

“Well, seems like someone there regained some confidence?” taunted him one of the men “I thought we’ve already been here before, am I wrong? Let’s see how long this will last.” He laughed, mumbling something to the other one’s ear. Wide grin spread on his face as he walked towards Sanji, freeing his arms and bringing him down to his knees, only to chain them again, this time to the floor. He pulled on the chef’s hair, forcing him to look up. The chef hissed quietly, not changing his expression. It was different this time. His captain made a promise.

“What a murderous glare.” Mused the third one, walking closer and cupping Sanji’s face with one hand. The chef instantly jerked his head away, barely restraining himself from flinching. A grimace shot through the man’s face. “Seems like someone here has a very short memory.” A punch landed on Sanji’s cheek, making him turn his head to the side.

“No worries.” Hummed the man behind the chef’s back “We’ve subdued him once, we can always do it again if we want.” He leaned closer so that Sanji could feel his breath on his neck as he whispered “And I, at least, want it quite badly.”

He didn’t react, piercing through the men in his sight with his eyes. He feared them, anxiety was eating him out from the inside as he was carefully balancing on a thin line between keeping himself sane and giving up to despair and hysteria. He had to survive, to be strong. To not bring shame to _his captain_.

“This brings back memories, don’t you think?” one of the men smiled, faking a nostalgic sigh “I can still remember the day we first talked. You were feisty, throwing curses, like a wounded animal, who would bite even its own caretaker. But _after_ that…” a cold shiver ran down Sanji’s spine. If he could kill those people, he would. He would rather become trash even worse than he already was than to go through _this hell_ again.

“Kinda miss that old one.” Said another one “It was such fun to break him. I loved those sweet curses thrown out of helplessness.” He chuckled “This one’s different though. I don’t like this arrogant, homicidal attitude. Believe me, you’ll beg for me to stop once I get my hands on you, and then you’ll ask for more. I just can’t wait.”

“Well then, gentlemen.” The third one cleared his throat theatrically “I don’t see a reason why we shouldn’t get started. Just let me close the door and let us begin.” Sanji jerked in his restraints, clenching his teeth and frantically looking for a way out. This wasn’t happening, not _again_! What would the others think of him?

_“The past stays within the past, in can’t be changed. What he really cares for, is who you are now. Who you have become.”_

Who he had become. Who he was going to become _again_. Luffy promised, but would he do that if he knew _what_ his chef would become? They took everything from him, and when he thought he had finally regained it, they were going to do it again – hold him down and take him down a peg.

“Man, I’ve been dreaming of this moment ever since you were gone.” Sighed one of the men, inhaling deeply “I wonder, how much pain are you going to endure this time? Before you snap, I mean. A week? A day? An hour?” with every consecutive word he was moving closer until there were inches between him and the chef “A minute? Let’s find out, _Sanji._ ”

“Don’t call me by my name.” he growled, trying to calm down his racing heart. He couldn’t give in to the fear that was slowly crawling inside his mind, embracing it. The Strawhats would fight, every single one of them. He also had to try.

“Here it comes, the fierce one!” the man laughed “Good thing we’re not going to gag you. I’d love to hear you more. Especially the sounds that we’ll tear out from you once you break – the pleas and begging, those are the sweetest.” he reached down to his pocket and slowly pulled out what seemed like needles. Sanji could barely stop himself for flinching involuntarily.

“Bamboo needles.” Continued the man “Sharp and very painful when inserted under one’s nails.” He grinned widely, a dangerous spark flashing through his eyes “The Boss told us not to damage you too much so you could go to work soon, but these little ones leave no permanent marks. It’ll heal in no time.” he moved closer, hiding them back in his pocket “But we’ll leave them for later. If you misbehave.” He didn’t stop smiling, taking off the coat and tossing it away.

Sanji’s eyes widened ever slightly, trying to keep as much cold and hatred he could afford. He was terrified, fear eating him out, but he had no intention of showing it to those men. They had already done the worst things to him, he’d already seen the bottom so there was nothing to fear. Still, some part of him was screaming, begging them to stop what they wanted to do, because he’d rather dig the needles in his own throat than go through that again.

The only thing stopping him right now was Luffy’s promise. He had _his_ crew, _his_ friends, a place to return to and people who were waiting for him with opened arms. Something to fight for, _someone_ who would never let him give up. That was it, he was representing his captain. Logically, giving in would be easier, playing a rag doll, not fighting but also not reacting to anything, but he’d rather use up the little energy he had inside and resist them than to let them have it easily. He was super dead anyway, they had seen him break before. All he could do for his captain right now was to outlast this hell.

***

She clenched her fists until she could feel her nails cutting through skin. God, she was so helpless and furious at herself. Now that she thought of it, she should had noticed the little changes in Sanji’s behavior that night. She knew he gave her small signs that something was wrong, even if he himself wasn’t fully aware of it.

_“Everyone’s really happy. I hope the mood will stay with them for the next days.”_

Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she realized the chef really was dancing like there was no tomorrow back then. He knew that for him there really was _none_. He should had told them. Luffy and Zoro wouldn’t allow anyone get their hands on him. Besides, why would anyone want to take Sanji back to the island they found him on? Why was he so important for them? _Who_ was he exactly?

“And why are you so upset?” she heard a familiar, low voice behind her back “Thanks to you, we have the course to get the shitty cook back.”

“You know why.” She raised her head, looking into the ocean. He knew indeed. “Got any booze?”

“Seems you know me well.” She heard a chuckle and soon a bottle of alcohol was placed on the raining next to her “I figured drinking alone isn’t so much fun anymore.”

“Right.” She opened the bottle with her teeth, taking a long sip. The sake tasted better than she thought it would “You’re totally right.” They stood there like that for a moment, simply drinking slowly and staring into the ocean. Nami really worshiped those moments with the swordsman – he was the only one on the ship who would simply stand there, not trying to cheer her up with empty words.

Most of the time, Zoro was quite annoying, napping, training or sneaking to the lounge for more alcohol, but at times like this it felt great to have someone like him by her side. Sanji was also like that. She didn’t know a thing about him, but he understood her well. Maybe because he knew exactly how hard it was when someone forced you to talk about things you didn’t want to. Luffy, Zoro, Usopp – they had no problems with talking about what was bothering them, well sometimes the swordsman was kind of closed in himself, but it never lasted long.

“Zoro.” Nami finally broke the silence between them “Promise me you’ll get him back in one piece.”

“I was the one who brought him here.” The swordsman stated, taking a sip from his bottle “It’s my duty to make sure he’s back. I also heard that Luffy promised him that. You shouldn’t worry so much, the money you spend on beauty creams would all go to waste.”

“Oh, fuck you very much.” She poked him with her elbow, with couldn’t stop the smile making its way on her face “If I need more, I’ll cut the money for your alcohol. You better solve the matter quickly.”

“Right.” He smirked, emptying his bottle with one swift move “I would hate to suffer sailing on this ship of weirdos sober.” The navigator looked at him closely. Even though he seemed relaxed and in the mood for jokes, his muscles were stiff and his grip on the bottle was tight. Zoro was such a hypocrite when it came to emotions.

***

Sanji’s eyes shot wide open as soon as he heard the slightest sound of hinges creaking. He had to fight the urge to shiver when watching _those_ men enter the room again. The majority of the crew sailing the ship he was on had already been there at least once, taunting him ruthlessly, pulling on his hair or beating him like a ragdoll. Those three though, they were up for worse.

“I warned you.” One of them, Sanji had already figured he held the most authority in the small group, shook his head slowly while walking towards him “You hear me? I told you the consequences of misbehaving would be very unpleasant for you. You were aware of that.” His voice was full of disappointment, but the ugly grin spreading across his face told the chef otherwise “Well, they say a wounded animal would even bite its own caretaker, right? Thing is, you _bit_ me, Sanji. It’s only my duty to deliver the punishment.”

“Don’t you dare use that name.” growled the chef, giving the man a furious look. True, they had taken him down a peg again, taunted him, beaten him, made him _remember_ everything they had done to him months ago, but his name belonged to his captain. The person who hadn’t given up on him, hadn’t lost hope in who he was. He had to stick to that, otherwise how would he look Luffy in the eye?

“Don’t you dare use that tone against me _ever_ again.” Sanji felt a fist clenching around his neck, making him fight for air and gasp loudly “Don’t forget who you belong to now, piece of trash. You’re nothing, understand? No one would care if we killed you here and now, no one would mourn such a failure.” The words hit deeper than the chef would like them to. For a second, his eyes widened slightly, exposing him and leaving him completely vulnerable.

“He really thought those pirates would care.” Chuckled another man, shaking his head “Don’t make me laugh. And here I thought you’ve met enough of their kind to know what they’re like.”

“Don’t expect so much of him.” Sanji felt the grip on his throat loosen as the man let go of him and reached his hand to his pocket. “I had high hopes for you. But you’re just like the others – dumb, full of anger, thinking only about one…” he gave the chef a meaningful look which made him shiver in disgust. “I guess the only way to teach you some manners is through pain.”

Sanji’s eyes widened when he saw the man taking his hand out of the pocket, pulling out a fistful of thin, sharp things. _Fucking bamboo needles._ He trashed in his restraints involuntarily, only to the amusement of the men around him.

“Oh my, I would never have thought those would scare you so much.” The man made a worried face “You know, maybe I could hide them if you asked me politely, what do you think?” Sanji looked him deeply in the eye, not letting his fear take over. He knew he was dancing on a thin line separating him from despair. They had already broken him once, that’s why he didn’t fear the needles or the pain. He _feared_ that man.

“Come on.” Hurried him another one “Thank god you’re still on your knees and _beg._ ” Some part of him was whispering to stop fighting a war that had already been lost and give in to those bastards. To forget about Luffy and the others and accept the fact that everything was going back to the fucking so-called ‘normal’. It was no use fighting them, struggling would only bring more pain and humiliation once they get what they want.

“Cat got your tongue? A shame indeed.” Sanji felt one of his hands become freed and roughly grabbed. The man with the needles pulled it towards himself, needles flashing in the dim light. Without any warning, he took one of them and started slowly inserting it under one of the Strawhat’s fingernails.

Sanji held back a curse when the needle was being pushed deeper and deeper, sending excruciating pain all over his arm. It was way, way worse than he anticipated. Stars blurred his vision when he felt the tip of the needle rip through the matrix.

“Don’t like it?” the man chuckled, stopping the torture for a moment only to push the needle deeper. The chef couldn’t stop a long bunch of curses from rolling through his mind. “You know we can make it stop. We can make the pain go away. All you need to do is say _please._ ”

“Fuck… you.” He spitted between sharp gasps, fully aware of the poor choice of words. It didn’t matter anyway, the pain was drilling through his brain, slowly becoming unbearable. The response didn’t get to his torturer’s liking, apparently, because with one swift move the needle hit his nail’s germinal matrix.

Sanji wished he hadn’t screamed, but the wide grins on the men’s faces told him they were nowhere near to done with him. Ruthless chuckling rolled over the room.

“Seems like _this_ is the most you can take.” The man sighed, letting go of the sharp blade and leaving it inserted under the chef’s fingernail “Well, I guess we were done with this one either way. The Boss’ orders are clear – no permanent damage. There’s no need to worry, though. We still have some tries ahead of us, right?” Sanji grit his teeth, taking deep breaths. He gave the man a challenging look. Perhaps the war was already lost, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t forth fighting.

***

“You knew him the best.” It sounded more like an accusation than a statement, but because it was Nami standing in front of him, Zoro didn’t take it as one “Did he tell you anything about himself? It might be useful for our pursuit.”

“Nami, you know it’s not the best idea right now. Everyone’s stressed out because of what happened.” Usopp tried to stop her from asking those questions, which Zoro was secretly grateful for, even if his efforts were fruitless.

“He never spoke much about his life.” He shook his head, urging for the woman to give him some peace. Usopp was right, Merry’s morals were already low enough, and talking did not help. “You know it’s not pleasant to talk about how life fucked you up. Not to mention, he almost bled out not so long ago.”

“You’re right.” She stated with a sigh “But I wonder who he was before joining us. You know, Usopp spilled his story right after officially leaving his village, and it was pretty obvious you were a murderer or a bandit of some sorts…”

“Watch your tongue.” Said the swordsman coldly.

“Sorry. It’s just that I really want to know more about him.” She looked into the sky, her eyes landing on the setting sun “He seemed to understand me so well. Whatever he went through was horrible, and now it’s happening again. Can you imagine that, going through all your misery again?”

“You know, we actually talked about that the day Zoro got super drunk.” Exclaimed Usopp, filching when he met the swordsman’s icy stare “Anyway, Sanji told me how wrong I was when trying to imagine what you were going through, Zoro. He didn’t sound like he _thought_ that, he _knew_ that.”

“Come on, Zoro. You know something.” Nami cocked her head, frowning. “I know you do.”

“I have already told you – I don’t know shit about him.” Said the swordsman slowly, putting pressure on every consecutive word. “If you want to know so badly, ask him once he’s back. I’m going to have something to drink now, so.” He headed to the galley.

_A junkie? A debtor? A whore? A freak?_

If only the shitty cook wasn’t such a good actor, perhaps things wouldn’t turn so damn complicated. But no, he had to first lift everyone’s hopes up only to leave without a word. A Brilliant idea indeed. He should had told them, Luffy wouldn’t leave things the way they were, neither would Zoro but no, the chef had to send the goddamn cat among the pigeons. Didn’t he trust them? Weren’t they crewmates?

Figuring things out sober was too troublesome for him. He grabbed the first bottle that came into his sight. In a flash of an eye, it was opened and the swordsman took a long sip. _No, it’s not that._ Another sip. _Most probably, he didn’t want to involve us into whatever shit he was stepping in._ That meant, he could be blackmailed. Ninety percent sure, he was.

Did they threaten him with someone from the Baratie? The head chef? Maybe he had someone else important for him who was in danger. A family? Friend? Lover? Shit, what did they tell him to make him obey them like that? Sanji wasn’t weak and he was by no means a coward, that much Zoro was sure of. True, he wasn’t much of a challenge in fight, but taken that he hadn’t trained in months and nearly bled out… Zoro wondered just how strong he was at the peak of his strength. Holy mother of god, he could be just as good as the swordsman was. If so, how come he left the floating restaurant in the first place?

_Life sucks sometimes._

Not helpful at all. But the issue must had been serious. Damn it, the bottle was already empty. A second one took her place in no time. What was going to happen to the chef now? What if he was a criminal and the Marines caught him after an escape from the prison? _No, dumbass. There weren’t any Marines on the island when you found him._ Bounty hunters then? No, Zoro would know if the man was wanted. He was the Pirate Hunter after all, he would had heard about the cook from Yosaku and Johnny.

Was Sanji from a rich family? That would make sense given how he liked the three-piece Nami and Luffy got him. What if he ran from home and his parents were looking for him? Did he run from an arranged marriage? Then, someone recognized him and wanted to take revenge on his old man. Such cases weren’t so uncommon in the East Blue. _No, if he was from a rich family he wouldn’t be working on that restaurant._ Maybe he ran away and became a junkie? _No, he would rather end up killed than kidnapped._ Fuck, it all made no sense. Unless…

***

He didn’t even raise his eyes up when he heard the door creak open. The pain in his fingers was constantly stabbing sharp needles into his brain, he could barely feel his arms through the tingling. Though they said they weren’t going to hurt him permanently, he imagined that apart from his face he was all covered in bruises, his torso, throat and waistline especially. It brought back memories of the times right after his abduction – the beatings, torments, tortures, _trainings._

“It feels like you _do_ remember something.” He heard a taunting voice, its owner unknown. Too many faces had flashed in front of his eyes recently to connect them to the voices. “Man, last time really did bring back some good memories.” The chef let the insult slide, still not looking up. Not giving a shit about what was going to happen. They should reach the island within a week or so. Keeping track of days wasn’t easy when isolated inside a dark room.

He wasn’t going to die.

He wasn’t going to face anything he hadn’t before.

He wasn’t going to surrender.

He was going to go back to the life he had gotten used to over the past few months. Nothing more, nothing less. Like waking up from a dream, still foolishly hoping it would come true. _No, Luffy and the others are on their way. They will come._

“Someone here isn’t in the mood, huh? Or are you dead already?” a fist connected with his gut tore a surprised gasp out of him. “We have no intention of letting you die so soon. What would the Boss tell the clients? That we beat our own employee to death?” _Employee, my ass._ He looked up, facing the wide and cruel grin he was already sick of. Everyone on the ship had similar expressions – brutal, disgusting, taunting. That was another reason why he hated men – a lady would never make such a disgusting face.

People always had and always would give in to their basic needs – sleep, food, intercourse. No matter how rich or educated they were. Women were delicate flowers, some of them had thorns, but it only made them seem more beautiful. They didn’t turn into animals when it came to the fundamental needs, they had grace. They didn’t have the brute force men were sure guaranteed them the rights to the world. Nature in her blessing gave them more.

“Cat got your tongue?” the man chuckled some, leaning closer, _too close._ “Too bad, I enjoy how you use it when time comes. A shame indeed.” He reached his hand and plucked two fingers inside the chef’s mouth. He immediately jerked his head back, but the restraints stopped him. “A-ah, seems like you still do have it.” The man laughed, moving his fingers around, causing a roll of nausea to roll over Sanji. He had the chance to see how greasy and full of dirt were those men’s fingernails. As soon as the man got bored and backed off, the chef gathered all the saliva he had in his mouth and spit right in the other’s face.

There was no time for triumph as his chin was roughly grabbed and he saw a pair of dark, furious eyes piercing right through him. He almost screamed in pain when he felt a fist clenching around his hands, causing the pain in his fingernails to explode. Without a word, the man let go of his chin and grabbed the collar of his silky shirt, nonchalantly toying with the top button for a short while. Sanji closed his eyes, trying for his breath to not come out shaky.

God damn it, he knew what was coming, he knew he was powerless to stop it, but it still made him terrified. As if a part of him was still rejecting this, the one screaming to fight, because not everything was lost. _Ah, the Strawhats. What would they think if they saw such a failure? Would they even care to pursue this ship if they knew? You know they would. They are your friends. Friends._

That was right. Things would had been easier if he was indifferent to what was happening, if he could accept it just as he did last time. Obey those people, knowing struggle would only bring more pain and humiliation than it was worth. But he couldn’t. He dedicated his life to Luffy, he burdened him with a promise to bring him back to Merry. That’s why he couldn’t resign himself to those fuckers.

He held his breath when he watched the man’s eyes turn darker until they looked just like an animal’s. Ready to hunt.

***

Usopp tried to fall asleep, shifting in his hammock, but it seemed purely impossible with the dull feeling of lightness in his stomach. _Fear._ It felt just like when imagining death, the feeling of non-existence. The fear of the unknown, except that now he wasn’t concerned about himself.

His thoughts went back to the last night he saw Sanji – the one they made him play Liar’s Dice without explaining the rules. The sniper remembered well the murderous glare the chef gave him once the game started, but later he seemed to really have enjoyed himself.

Did he know what was coming up later that evening? Was all his happiness just an act pulled out to fool Usopp and the others? _No, that happiness was real. That excitement was real._ If so, Sanji was fucking brave. He managed to remain cheerful knowing tomorrow would bring tragedy upon him. Or perhaps he had so much faith in Luffy and the crew. _If he had, he wouldn’t have gone there alone._

The sharpshooter felt numb frustration rise inside him. He foolishly thought there was no man able to hide anything from him – but hey, Nami was just the same. He was sure he would notice if anything was to go wrong. How did Sanji manage to hide it from them?

 _Alcohol._ Holy shit.

If he only wasn’t so focused on the tip of his own nose, perhaps he would stop the chef from leaving. If he hadn’t blacked out somewhere before dawn. Or was it a part of Sanji’s plan? Usopp couldn’t quite recall the man drinking much that feral night.

_No._


	6. Back to the drawing board

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everything goes downhill.

“I said ‘look down’!” A fist connected with Sanji’s ribs, earning a pained gasp from him. The man in front of him spat on the floor, giving the chef a furious glare “You think you can play your fucking games with us? Trash like you don’t get the privilege to look the clients in the face.” Sanji’s eyes wandered around the man’s features, his breath coming in short pants.

“We’ll be arriving in two days. I bet you can imagine how furious the boss will get if he sees you so _disobedient._ ” Sanji fought the urge to flinch. He hadn’t thought about the arrival yet, he didn’t have the chance through the constant pain and company of someone from the crew. The mention of the boss alone sent shivers running down his spine.

“It’s hard to tell if it’s your stubbornness or just you being so fucking stupid.” The man eyed him up and a wide grin spread on his face “Ah, those pirates. You still think they’ll come for you? In that case I must disappoint you.” The chef’s gaze turned cold as it settled right on the man’s dark eyes. The grin widened even more, foul smell making the world spin for a moment.

Not that the chef was in a far better state. He was a mess, he hadn’t had a bath in way too long, they only let him out once in a long while, eyes covered with a blindfold, to keep the slightest of hygiene in the room he was kept in. It was slowly driving him crazy, the feeling of dirt covering his stomach and torso, unable to reach or clean. It didn’t seem to bother the men, though.

“We also thought they wouldn’t fall for the note we left them, but it turns out pirates have shit I their heads after all.” A low chuckle rolled through the room “We’ve been watching if someone was following our trail, but guess what?” _No._ Sanji’s eyes widened, losing their cool, letting fear sneak in.

The man bared his teeth with satisfaction “No one, you hear? _No one_ has been following this ship. Better forget about those people and start obeying us. Neither of us wants to drag this fucking game you’re playing any longer, right?” the chef couldn’t believe those words. Those people had already lied to him once, it was all a bluff.

“You’re lying.” He snapped, hiding his doubts and slowly building up despair behind a mask of anger.

“I honestly didn’t want you to say that, but if you want a proof so badly…” the man sighed with fake disappointment, reaching inside his coat and taking out a folded piece of paper “…this is what the news coo brought us today. The front page of today’s newspaper.” He tossed it on the floor, reaching for Sanji’s hands and detaching the cuffs from the ceiling “Take a good look and rethink your stupid stubbornness.”

The chef hissed when he felt blood rushing through his arms again, itching. He quickly picked up the paper, his eyes widening when he noticed the bold headline spreading across the page.

_An unknown pirate crew makes it through the Reverse Mountain! Who exactly are “The Strawhat Pirates?”_

Sanji’s fingers dug deep into the paper, almost tearing it. His eyes trailed from the headline to Luffy’s picture from the wanted poster, than to Merry’s photo. He felt his breath fasten and he flinched when the paper was suddenly taken from him.

“Told you.” Said the man, ceremonially hiding the page back into his coat and then dropping it on the floor. He then chained Sanji’s hands to the floor behind his back, bending the chef’s body in a very uncomfortable position. “No one would like a scumbag like you to be their friend. Didn’t even bother looking for you it seems. You know how far from the Reverse Mountain they were when we set sail?”

“You’re lying.” Repeated the chef through grit teeth. His eyes stung, warmth building up. _Luffy promised. He promised!_ The Strawhats couldn’t had left him like that. They were his friends, he _was_ worthy of having friends.

“There you go again.” The man was visibly annoyed by then, grabbing a fistful of Sanji’s hair and pulling his head up “You’ve been told before – no one would like to befriend trash like you! I wonder how much of a failure you are if they left you behind without even knowing who you are.” The chef didn’t dare to move, choking back the tears which were about to flow. _It’s a lie, a fucking lie._ This man wasn’t speaking about _the_ Strawhats. He wasn’t speaking about Luffy, he didn’t know shit about Zoro, Nami or Usopp. Not a goddamn thing.

“Oh, one more thing before we get to my favorite part.” The man grinned meaningfully “I bet they would keep you if they knew you were such a great whore.”

Sanji’s stomach dropped.

***

“With the current course, we should reach the island in two days or so.” Nami looked impatiently at the compass, her nervous gaze skipping between the slightly shifting needle and the map she was currently holding “But why can’t we spot the ship? It should be in our sight by now, yet there’s nothing but waters.”

“Beats me.” Luffy shrugged, cocking his head to the side. “But once we find those guys, I’m going to beat the shit our of them!”

“I know, I know.” The navigator put her hands up, trying to calm the captain down “It’s just that, I’m a little worried. What if I got the course wrong and that’s why we can’t see the ship?”

“What are you talking about, Nami?” the captain raised his eyebrows “You’re the best navigator I know.”

“Quite a shame I’m also the only one!” snapped Nami, clenching her fist and ready to smack the rubber man the next time he comes up with an idiotic praise like that “It’s not like I don’t make mistakes.”

“But you wouldn’t set the wrong course when we’re after Sanji.”

“The pressure doesn’t help at all!”

“But the needle is pointing north, right?”

“It always is! Man, you’re hopeless.” The navigator turned back to the map, gripping it tightly “You know, Luffy. I wonder why Sanji didn’t tell us anything. I know he might’ve been shy and all, but he was a part of the crew. I mean, he knew he could trust us, right?”

“Who knows?” Mused the captain, crossing his arms “Let’s ask Sanji himself when we find him.”

“Could you stop being so easygoing for a moment? Sanji is our friend, and now he’s gone!”

“I know.” Luffy’s face suddenly became more serious “But I made a promise that I’ll get him back on Merry if he gets into trouble, so what’s the point in worrying? We’ll kick those guys’ asses and get Sanji back.” He looked at the compass “Besides, I really want to eat more of Sanji’s cooking again! Zoro told me he used to work with the funny old man at the floating restaurant. Cool, right?”

“Yeah.” Nami smiled slightly. _But why did he leave the Baratie? He didn’t do that willingly. In that case, who made him?_

***

“Time to go.” Sanji felt his hands and feet being freed from their restraints as the man standing in front of him put a metal collar on his neck. He pulled on the chain several times to watch the chef’s reaction, but there was none. The man acted as though he was a ragdoll. A satisfied smirk crawled on the trafficker’s face. “Welcome home.”

Sanji said nothing while he was lead out of the room, than the ship. Not a word escaped his mouth when the chilly breeze grazed his cheeks, reminding him of the time spent in the crow’s nest with a certain drunk swordsman. It didn’t matter now, though. If he was lucky, perhaps he would get to know some information about the crew from his clients.

Even though they docked at the island’s main harbor, there was no one. They chose midnight as a perfect moment to dock. Without trouble, without later explanation. As if the chef, no, Sanji never left the island at all. Was that why he felt slightly bitter all of the sudden?

The room – _his_ room – wasn’t far from the shore, yet far enough for him to nearly bleed out, he looked at the empty streets, as if searching for something, for _someone._ But this time, there was no green-haired, drunk swordsman with a gorgeous navigator by his side who would help him out. None at all.

He was there, finally. In that room he had used to live in for the last couple of months. Normally, he would likely feel fury rise inside him, but now his eyes were empty. _He_ was empty. He thought everything would just go back to normal, but it was far from normal, now that he had experienced what freedom tasted like once more. It was just like with the cigarettes – a stopped withdrawal. He could hear voices from outside his room, but he didn’t pay attention. Until.

“A jolly roger with a straw hat. Never seen something like that before.”

“A straw hat? Never heard of them.”

“That’s why I assumed they were weak. Told the whore we were going to murder them all if he doesn’t come with us. Weak as he is, he followed us right away, like a dog.”

“That’s good. Did you engage with those pirates?”

“No, we left shortly after dawn. But man, they’ve been on our backs the entire time. I don’t know if we managed to lose them at all. They were a day, even less behind. Thanks to Beiyo we managed to hide the ship.”

“I see. I should probably tell the boss about it.”

“Come on, they don’t even have a name for themselves. Are you sure it’s a good idea to tell him now, when his mood is bad enough already?”

“You’re right. If anything happens, we should be able to take care of those pirates on our own.”

Sanji’s breath got caught in his throat.

***

“Listen up, you guys.” Usopp cleared his throat “As you all know, we will be arriving early this morning. That’s why I, the Great Captain Usopp came up with a brilliant plan that would guarantee us victory!”

“There he goes again.” Zoro rolled his eyes, involuntarily reaching his hand for a bottle that should be resting by his side. Fate was a bitch, apparently, for there was none.

“I figures as there’s only four of us, we’ll need to split into groups of two.” Usopp put a map of the island, apparently taken from Nami’s collection, on the table, pointing at the harbor. “Nami, you and Zoro will go and look for Sanji, whilst I and Luffy will guard Merry Go.”

“Wait, that’s unfair!” whined Luffy “I want to go kick those guys’ asses! There’s no way I’m staying on the ship!”

“Luffy’s right, Usopp.” Nami shook her head “This is just plain ridiculous. We all know Luffy Is the strongest one here, he’s the captain!”

“It’s fine by me.” Zoro grinned, his teeth flashing “More thugs to take down by myself.”

“No, hear me out!” Usopp raised his voice, frantically looking around at the crew’s faces. “I know Luffy should fight, but we’ll get into it. So, Nami. You know the city better than anyone here.”

“Hey, I’ve been there too.” Grunted the swordsman.

“Yeah, right.” Usopp spared him a meaningful look “You and _Zoro_ know the city better than I or Luffy. That’s why you’ll sneak in and get Sanji back. We don’t know what state he will be in, so we can’t risk engaging him in a full fight. Meanwhile, I and Luffy will be guarding the ship.”

“I see.” Nami’s eyes brightened “It makes sense now!”

“It does, right?” Usopp smirked victoriously, crossing his arms “Once you and Zoro bring Sanji back, we would be able to go all out on those guys!”

“And you, of course, will back us up from the Merry.” Snorted the swordsman, giving the sniper a challenging look and raising an eyebrow.

“Of course I will! I am, after all, the Great Captain Usopp! I would shoot any enemy from a hundred-mile distance. Have I ever told you about the sniper duel I once had with the king of Giants, whose eyesight was no weaker than three thousand miles?” Usopp raised his chin up, closing his eyes as he began to tell yet another tale of his adventures as the brave warrior of all seas.

“Really?” Luffy’s eyes lightened up in an instant “I want to hear that story!”

“I’ll pass.” Zoro got up slowly “I’m going to take a nap. You guys wake me up when we arrive.” That said, he left the room, heading to one of the railings. _That idiot,_ thought Nami. He never said he was going to get some rest. As if he didn’t know they knew he wasn’t fully asleep when napping on the deck.

“Ah? Zoro left!” Luffy’s gaze followed the swordsman “What do we do now? I want him to hear the story too.”

“Maybe Usopp will tell you both another time.” Nami shrugged, grabbing the sniper’s arm and pulling on it “Sir Great Captain, would you please for a second?”

As soon as the door shut behind them, she pushed the sniper to the wall, resting her hands on her hips.

“Hey! What was that for?” Usopp was visibly puzzled.

“What’s with that strange strategy of yours?” she asked, her gaze dead serious “Something’s been bothering you, right?”

“What do you mean?” he frowned “It was the best plan I could come up with.”

“The best for whom?” she asked and by the look on his face she’s one hundred percent sure he knows exactly _for whom._ “It would be safer to send Luffy there right away and you know it. We all agreed on the strategy of yours, but I want to know why you decided to leave our captain on the ship in the first place!”

“Don’t shout at me, I’m not deaf!” He snapped suddenly, immediately realizing he’s gone a little too far “I’m sorry, it’s just that… it’s not easy for me also. They kidnapped _Sanji_ , Nami. The guy was half-dead and still way stronger than you or me, and still decided not to engage a fight with those guys.”

“To the point, Usopp.” Nami’s glare became colder as the realization started to crawl into her mind.

“What I’m trying to say…” Usopp held his breath, the pause within the sentence becoming unbearable “…is that if the situation gets _really_ messy, you or Zoro will retreat. Luffy _won’t_.”

For a short moment, it felt as though the time stopped, the two silhouettes standing there in absolute silence. Nami’s eyes widened rapidly, her fist clenching and connecting with Usopp’s cheek. The man winced, but didn’t move an inch.

“What are you talking about, Usopp?!” she raised her voice, refusing to believe her own ears “What is that supposed to mean?”

“That’s why…” Usopp’s face was filled with determination, his eyes on Nami’s “I told you it was a hard decision. Listen, I nearly lost Kaya. I can’t risk losing you and Merry! I won’t tolerate the sight of my family being taken away from me again!”

“ _Sanji_ is a part of the family!” Nami’s loud voice turned into a scream, her eyes stinging and slowly filling with tears “You saw how happy he was when he sailed with us! I can’t believe you’ve done something like that!” she aimed for another punch, but her hand was caught in the air. She turned her head, eyes widening.

“Hey, Nami.” Luffy’s voice was low, but calm “It’s okay. We’ll stick to Usopp’s plan.”

“I can’t believe you too support this.” She said quietly “He practically said–“

“I know what he said.” The straw hat shone in the setting sun “I’m going to kick those guys’ asses anyway. It’s good if we make sure Sanji is alright before. Zoro.” He turned his head to the napping first mate “What do you think of this?”

“I’m not the one to question the captain’s choices.” One of the swordsman’s eyes opened lazily, a grin spreading on his face “Once I get the shitty cook back on the ship, I’ll make those bastards pay for the booze I wasted on the way back here.”

“Then it’s settled.” Luffy let go on the navigator’s wrist, putting a hand on his hat “Nami, don’t worry about Sanji. We’ll get him back. And don’t be mad at Usopp. He’s doing what he thinks is the best for the crew.” he looked up “You can’t blame him for doing that.”

“…Right.” Nami looked down, clenching her fists. She then raised her head, locking her eyes on Usopp “I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to think anymore.”

“It’s okay.” Usopp gave her one of those assuring smiles he always had when trying to cheer someone up “Everyone’s stressed out. But it will be all over tomorrow, so let’s just try to have some rest.” Her gaze wandered after him as he moved past her and headed to the men’s room. She sighed, smiling slightly. She had to be the luckiest person on earth, having a family like that.

***

“The boss wants to see you.” He heard as the door creaked open “Your recent _impudence_ has been concerning him.” Two silhouette moved closer to him, one of them removing the collar on his neck while the other standing, ready if Sanji wanted to try anything.

Although he knew the path to boss private chambers, he was led there with both of the men watching him. _No more moving on your own, then._

The moment he stepped inside the room, he noticed there already was someone there. A girl, probably around his age, dressed in the same silk material which the chef as covered in, but she was way more scantily clad, her covers _almost_ revealing too much. The chef held back a curse. A few months ago, he would probably go crazy about this woman, perhaps even get a decent nosebleed, but now such things filled him with negative feelings only.

He could tell she was new. He just could. From the way she was standing beside the queen sized bed, looking at it nervously, her eyes not yet blank, her gestures filled with anxiety rather than disgust or forced obedience. The sight alone was enough to make Sanji’s blood boil.

As soon as the door was slammed shut, she burst into tears, choking down quiet sobs. Without a second thought, he walked towards her, stopping a few feet away to give her some space. The fact she was here meant she had already endured her own bit of hell from the men working under boss’ commands, that’s why he wouldn’t dare to even come close unless he had her explicit consent.

“My dear.” He said calmly, trying to gain her trust. Trying to think of any words that would probably make this whole fucked up situation less horrible. “We still have some time. Take a seat, standing there would only make you tired.” She looked at him, visibly torn between astonishment and hysteria. He gently pointed the bed with his head, not coming closer nor stepping away. Slowly, she listened to him and took a seat, her tears now flowing in silence.

“What is now going to happen to me?” she asked, her eyes settling on the chef’s features. His stomach dropped “Why did this happen to me? I did nothing to deserve this! Those men… they…” she hid her face in her hands, sobbing loudly. He only stood there, looking at her with sympathy. Remembering the fear, shame, humiliation, helplessness, loss of trust.

“I’m Sanji. May I come closer?” he introduced himself and asked politely, watching her raise her head, visibly surprised with the question “I mean, if you’re comfortable with it.”

“No, it’s okay.” She shook her head, rubbing her puffed red eyes “You should take a seat, too.” He obeyed her, though making sure to keep the distance between them comfortable for her. She was so fragile, so torn, her wounds still far from turning into scars. “You’re not new. Why did they bring you here?”

“I ran away.” He noticed how her eyes widened when he said it out loud “And when they caught me again, I refused to obey them. They didn’t manage to break me for the second time.” His fists clenched “But this man… he’s not the boss for nothing.” He knew it probably scared the lady, but it was better for her to know the truth “They’re sure that by bringing me here they’ll manage to make me obedient one more time.”

“And will they?” he knew he couldn’t give in to the anxiety now that she was watching him. _Without her? Perhaps they could._

“I have a person who I’ve given my name to. As long as I keep it, I’ll have a reason to fight.” He said, clenching his fists. _Luffy…_ His thoughts wandered to the Merry. The galley, crow’s nest, tangerine trees Nami adored so much. Usopp’s workshop, the chef’s own room. _The headline._

“I see.” The girl smiled slightly “I have nowhere to go. No family, no friends, no one would care if I even died here.” Her eyes were sad, but not full of tears anymore.

“No.” he said decidedly, reaching for her hand and stopping inches from it, asking for her silent permission. She only nodded, and he grabbed her delicate palm in his hand “That’s not true. _I_ would care.” His determined gaze rested on her features “I would care if something happened to you.”

“That’s a lie.” She said bluntly, a spark of mistrust in her eyes. He shook his head quickly.

“No.” He said quietly, moving closer and embracing her with his arms. To his relief, she didn’t flinch or stiffen “I _do_ care about you. Listen to me, you have to get away from here. There are kind people outside who would befriend you and give you trust.” He didn’t dare to move, afraid it would scare her. For a moment, they just stayed like that, in pure silence. “Stay with them. You’re still new here, the odds of them chasing you are minimal if you escape soon enough.”

“What about you?” she asked, raising her head to meet his eyes “You’ll still stay here if I run.”

“Don’t worry about me.” His voice turned into a whisper when he heard footsteps closing in “We don’t have time left. I’ll try to drag his attention. Whatever happens, don’t fight and wait for your opportunity to run. I know you can do it.” He felt her embrace around him tighten as he was talking faster and faster. But she was going to be fine. He was going to make sure of it. “Everything will be okay. If you’re new, he’ll probably just want to test out if you’re obedient and do what you’re told.” He wasn’t sure if she could make anything out from his fast and quiet mumbling anymore. “Just listen to him… and no matter what he says, _don’t look up_.”

The door creaked open slowly. Sanji ran a hand through the girl’s hair gently. Making sure she wasn’t facing the entrance.

“Don’t let them take your name.” He whispered softly, hugging her like she was the greatest treasure in the world, feeling her fists clench on his back, wrinkling the silky fabric.

***

“Now, I was warned by my men that you’ve become quite _disobedient_ because of those pirates you were with, but I never imagined such straightforward lack of manners.” The boss’ voice was calm, a note of disappointment rolling through it when he noticed Sanji’s eyes staring right into his own. “The very first rule you’ve been learnt here, _Sanji._ Say it.”

“This name doesn’t belong to you.” The chef’s voice was close to trembling, even though he managed to keep it cold. He slowly let go of the girl, standing up and stepping in front of the bed, somehow trying to cover her from the man’s gaze. Not breaking the eye contact between them. His name belonged to his captain only.

“Then it seems you really have forgotten.” The man shook his head slowly, stepping closer and piercing _through_ Sanji with his eyes “Not only what you’ve been learnt, but also who you belong to. Perhaps the lady here will have more manners than you do.” The boss’ voice was deep and vibrating, he was also speaking really slowly. _Taking his time, the fucker._

“Hey, woman.” He called, his gaze turning from Sanji “Look at me when I’m talking to you!” The chef grit his teeth. _Don’t._ “Are you deaf? If so, I haven’t been informed. Look at me!” _Please, don’t._ “Look at me, you filthy whore!” _DON’T._ For a moment, absolute silence filled the room. Sanji urged to turn around and look at the woman, but he knew he couldn’t. If he tried to interfere, it would be the lady to bear the consequences.

“We…” she eventually spoke, her voice quiet but not trembling. “…we are not allowed to look at you.” The chef felt relief roll over him and watched a satisfied smile spread on the boss’ face.

“Good.” He praised her “Seems like the boys managed to teach you _something_. I’m dying to know what else you can do…” his gaze returned to Sanji’s features “…but first, I’m afraid I’ll have to make him remember what he stubbornly denies to.” He walked towards a large closet, opening it and revealing the too fucking familiar arsenal of blades, whips, knuckles and other things Sanji would rather deny ever existed.

Cold shiver ran through his spine.


	7. Finding Nemo; I meant Sanji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Strawhats finally get a good lead to where Sanji might be.

Struggle is useless. That was what the third rule said. It didn’t stop him from thrashing in his binds though. The boss tied his arms and feet to the bed’s legs, making him utterly exposed and vulnerable. The silky clothes he had on had to go too, which made his exposed skin feel the cool in the air. It didn’t matter, though. The more attention he gathers on himself, the bigger the chances of leaving the lady relatively unharmed. If they were really lucky, it would end on forcing her into intercourse. Any sign of disobedience and she would get hurt. Relatively, pretty badly.

“Now then.” The boss turned to Sanji, a dagger shining in his hand “I really don’t want to do such things in front of a lady, so I shall give you one more chance to help your situation.” He moved closer, heavy steps echoing in the small room “Look down and beg me for forgiveness, whore.” Sanji took a deep breath, his mind telling him to obey the man. The consequences of standing up to him… he wasn’t sure if he would manage to make it out alive.

“So, _Sanji_? Be a good boy and beg. _Now._ ”

He shouldn’t had looked the man in the eye. He shouldn’t had given him the coldest, most homicidal look one could afford when naked and restrained. And on the fucking absolutely top of this shit, he shouldn’t had told the man to shut up, because the chef’s name belonged to him only.

A loud, pained scream tore the air when the boss ceremonially dug the dagger straight in the Strawhat’s thigh.

***

“Land ho!” Usopp’s excited shout was everything the crew needed to get prepared for the raid. Zoro’s eye snapped open, his hand instantly resting on Wado’s hilt. He stood up, looking into the vast ocean. There it was, the island they were looking for. His teeth grit at the image of the cook being kept there. This is the place he was taken from without his will, the reason why they hadn’t met him back on the Baratie.

Zoro _knew_ it was everything the other man hated. He couldn’t help but feel a little bad looking at the land. This wasn’t how he was supposed to find out – how he wanted to. It felt like revealing the only bit of the chef’s life that he was stubbornly trying to cover – not that it could be helped. The stake was the man’s life, after all.

“How long until we reach it?” he looked at Nami “It’s almost midnight.”

“We should be there shortly after dawn.” She replied quickly, focusing on the compass “But we have to be careful. Things will turn harder if they spot us too early.”

“Then, how about we dodge the harbor and anchor on the other side of the island?” suggested Usopp.

“That would take way too much time.” The navigator shook her head “But we’re definitely not docking at the harbor. Everyone, to the sails! We’re changing the course.”

“Alright!” Luffy’s voice rang through the deck, his fists thrown in the air “Sanji, we’re coming for you!”

“Hey, Nami.” Zoro walked towards the navigator. “What do you plan doing now on? There aren’t many places you can securely dock without becoming exposed. Moreover, they might spot us if we sail any closer.”

“I know.” The words came out quiet and weak “I thought of that. They probably know we’re pursuing them, even if they got out of our sight. If so, there’s no use hiding. _But…_ ” she stared intensely into the swordsman’s eyes “…if they, by any chance, aren’t expecting us, it’s worth a shot to sail a little longer and anchor at the western side of the island.” She looked at him as she was waiting for his approval, but he only shrugged.

“We’ll do whatever you say.” He stated eventually “It’s good you’ve come up with a reasonable conclusion.”

“Oh damn you.” She snorted “You’re saying it like it’s something special.”

“Who knows? Perhaps it is.” Zoro grinned archly, feeling a fist connecting with his arm, but he knew the witch wasn’t really angry. Who could be, knowing that their lost friend was within reach of their hands anyway?

***

The door clicked shut. Sanji tried to calm down his breath, coming out in short pants and wheezes as he tried to shift. He felt pain, intense pain stabbing him from everywhere, internal and external wounds fighting for dominance. His vision was blurred due to his half-lidded eyes. He hissed loudly when he felt someone gripping his hand and untying it from one of the bed’s legs.

“I’m sorry.” He heard the girl’s voice “Stay still. I’ll try to be as delicate as I can.” Soon, his hand and feet followed and the chef was freed from his binds. Not that it changed his situation much. He didn’t have the strength to get up, let alone walk. Even though, he appreciated the lady’s efforts.

“Thank you.” He couldn’t afford anything louder than a whisper, his throat was torn from shouting. Shit, he was exhausted, both physically and mentally. “They’ll come any minute now. _Run._ ”

“What?” he couldn’t see her face, but he heard her voice was trembling “No, I’m not leaving you here!”

“ _Do it._ ” He insisted, turning his head in order for his eyes to meet her wet ones. She had to hurry. “Listen, next time you’re brought here, you might not be able to, but now you can move. This is the boss’ private rooms. No one beside him enters here anytime. His men will show up in a moment, but before that, the building’s empty. He has to call them first.”

“I told you, I’m not going to leave without you!” she sobbed “They’ll kill you!”

“They won’t.” It took all of his willpower to lift himself up on his elbows “Listen up, my friends should reach this town soon. There’s a man. Green hair, three swords, constantly drunk. Find him. He’ll protect you.” He bit back a curse when he saw the reluctance in her eyes “Go! You won’t help anyone by staying here.” As brutal as it was, it seemed to have convinced the girl. He soon heard her leaving the room with a quiet _‘I’m sorry’_. He closed his eyes, falling into the sheets, tears flowing down his cheeks.

Soon, multiple footsteps could be heard and the chef could hear a group of people enter.

“Hey, the girl’s gone.” Noticed one of the men, moving closer to the bed. Sanji could feel his gaze on him, but was utterly powerless to do anything about it. He didn’t even open his eyes, wishing for the darkness to embrace him and let him sink in. No such luck.

“You.” He felt someone nudge him and grunted when pain spread through his whole body “Where is she?! Where did the girl go?” Sanji slowly opened his eyes, shifting his head so that he could meet the man’s eyes with his own. Right now, he was so tired and battered he could do or say anything for the man to leave him alone. He tried to speak, but all that came out of his throat was an incomprehensible screech. He felt a fist clenching around his throat, cutting off the oxygen flowing to his lungs. Dark spots blurred his vision.

“Stop it.” He heard a familiar, low voice “He’s not going to tell you anything in his current state. Can’t you see the boss had quite the fun with him? Besides, he is to start working from tomorrow on. The money for repairing the wall in his room isn’t going to return itself.” The doctor, Sanji never really got his name. Boss’ right hand man, along with a guy who swallowed a devil fruit which managed to give him the power to mask things. Which included injuries and bruises.

“Tch.” Snorted the man, letting go of the chef. Sani gasped for air, hissing when intensive pain stabbed his throat and lungs “What should we do about the girl?”

“Check the rooms.” Said the doctor, stepping towards Sanji and putting two fingers on his neck, checking the pulse “She might be hiding somewhere, I doubt she could run anywhere after a session with the boss. I’ll take care of this one.”

“Roger that.”

***

“That’s all for now.” The doctor turned around, throwing a pair of gloves into a dustbin beside the bed. “You have clients scheduled for tomorrow, so I’d recommend spending the rest of your time sleeping and recovering.” He shot the chef a glare “If I hear complaints from any of your visitors tomorrow, I might close an eye this one time.”

Sanji didn’t say anything, too tired to open his mouth and respond. Now that the anesthesia dulled his pain, he felt like he was slowly drifting into darkness.

“The boss has become quite irresponsible lately.” Continued the man, taking a pen and writing something down “It’s not possible to cure every wound overnight. Well, perhaps he’ll calm down a little once one of you fall of their perch finally.” His gaze wandered back to the chef “Starting from tomorrow, you won’t have much free time. Really, this man is reckless.”

“Isn’t it… risky.” Sanji’s voice was quiet as a whisper, but loud enough for the doctor to understand “Talking about your superior… like that?”

“He knows he needs me.” The man stated bluntly, closing his notebook and walking back to his patient. “If it wasn’t for me, you would all have died long ago. He’s aware of that. Now get back to your room, I have other patients to take care of. Beiyo will visit you later to mask those dressings.”

***

“We’re here! Finally!” Nami’s joyful voice echoed through the deck as soon as the anchor dropped. Zoro was on his feet in an instant, feeling slightly dizzy after the sudden change of position, but the next thing he remembered was taking Nami’s hand and literally pulling her out of the deck.

“Hey, watch it!” she scolded him.

“We have not time.” He said, pointing his head at the orange sky “It’s already dawn, people will start coming out soon. We need to find the spot we first met the cook first. Think you can get there?”

“You’re asking a thief if they remember the city’s streets?” she smirked slyly, raising an eyebrow “You’re underestimating me.” The swordsman only smirked, following her steps. They swiftly maneuvered through the streets. Even though Zoro couldn’t recognize a damn thing, Nami seemed to know exactly where they were heading.

Soon enough, she stopped, pointing her hand at one of the narrow alleys.

“It’s here.” She said, taking a few steps forward and looking around, her hand trailing over the wall. “There’s no mistaking it.”

“Well then, let’s follow his steps.” The swordsman crossed his arms, carefully looking around. He was sure this was the right alley, but how they got here he had no idea. Not that it mattered, their priority now was to find the cook, not explain the mystery of moving streets.

***

She was pretty sure they had already searched through the whole city, and it made uneasiness rise inside her. What if she got the message wrong? What if they were on the wrong island? It only made sense to look for Sanji-kun in the place they first met – the chances of him being there were high given that he was actually running from somebody back then, _but_ they had searched through the whole island, and there was no trace of him.

“Zoro…” she turned to the swordsman, who had just returned from another building, shaking his head without saying a word. She held back a curse, clenching her fists and looking down. She felt so helpless and useless it was slowly becoming unbearable. “Why? Why can’t we find him? We’ve been searching everywhere.”

“We must’ve missed something.” He said, frantically looking around “The cook has to be somewhere here.”

“But we’ve been here three times already!” she raised her voice unwittingly, instantly realizing her mistake “I’m sorry. It’s just that, I know that with every passing minute he’s suffering. You saw how he acted whenever anything about him came up. It may be just my guess, but I think he could be forced into–“

“I know.” The swordsman interrupted her, his face remaining neutral and stony “There’s no need to be sorry. I’ve come to a similar conclusion. But the only thing we can do for now, is to look for him until we find him.” Nami felt her eyes itch. It was unfair, they were so close to finding Sanji, this island wasn’t large, yet it seemed like the chef had never been there.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you…” she heard a voice behind her back and turned around “…but are you, by and chance, looking for a friend?” The woman standing in front of her and Zoro was quite young, perhaps around their age. Her eyes were widened, in excitement or astonishment or disbelief, she couldn’t tell. Nami opened her mouth to respond, but Zoro silenced her.

“That depends.” He said, stepping in front of the navigator. He visibly didn’t trust that girl, even if she hadn’t yet shown any harmful intentions. Not that he was to blame, though. On this island, everyone could be an enemy. “Why are you asking?”

“I’ve noticed you walking around the streets and searching through some of the buildings.” She answered quickly, looking carefully at Zoro, her gaze stopping on the swords. “Excuse me, sir, but do you, by any chance, know Sanji?”

In an instant, Zoro’s sword was unsheathed and pointed at the girl’s throat. The woman gasped in astonishment, taking a step back, but soon gained her cool back, looking at the blade carefully.

“What are you doing, Zoro?!” shouted Nami, putting a hand on the swordsman’s shoulder and pulling at it slightly “Can’t you see she’s scared?”

“How do you know that name?” Zoro’s attention was concentrated fully on the girl “Where did you learn it?”

“He told me to find you.” The girl took a step in their direction, determination in her eyes “Sanji told me to find a constantly drunk, green-haired man with three swords, and that he’ll protect me. That’s you he was talking about, isn’t it?” Nami watched Zoro tense at the mention of the chef, but with one swift move his sword was back in its sheath. He didn’t let his guard down, though.

“We are Sanji’s friends.” Nami couldn’t fight the urge to step ahead of Zoro and talk to the girl “Do you know where he is? Can you tell us?” she asked, trying to keep her cool.

“Not far from here...” she said, pointing her finger in the direction they had just come from “There is a restaurant, but if you go in the back, you’ll find him. But please, hurry. I don’t know what can be happening to him now. Please.”

“We get it.” Said Zoro coldly, putting one of his hands on the swords “But why are you telling us all of this? Why do you care so much about him?” The girl looked down for a moment, her fists clenching.

“He saved me.” She said, shaking his head slowly “If it wasn’t for him, I would still be _there_ , most probably already broken by those people. He gave me hope and said that you’re the people I can trust–“ tears were rolling down her cheeks as she continued speaking “He was so polite and gentle towards me, but they… they…” she started crying uncontrollably and before she knew it, Nami was already hugging her tightly. This girl…

“Don’t worry.” Said Zoro, turning back and slowly walking in the direction pointed by the girl “We’ll make sure to destroy this whole shit.”

“Zoro, wait!” Nami wanted to go after him, but he turned his head around and gave her a meaningful look. _I’ll go ahead, you call the others._ “Your call.” She sighed. She could almost feel Zoro craving for blood. Like the Demon of the East Blue they called him.

“It’s going to be okay.” She said, trying to calm down the agitated girl “Come with me, to our ship. We’ll take care of you, I promise.”

A massive bloodbath was ahead of them. She had to tell Luffy about it.

***

“How can I help, sir?” the bartender bowed slightly, watching the swordsman walk towards the counter.

“I’d like to get in the back.” Said Zoro, discreetly putting a small bag full of money in front of the man. He unobtrusively looked inside, examining its content, then nodded slightly.

“Follow me please.” He leaded Zoro to a narrow corridor and opened one of the doors, encouraging him to step inside “I wish you a wonderful afternoon, sir.”

The first thing that hit Zoro after entering the room were intense, heavy perfume scents mixing in the air, making his mind a little blurry for a moment. They were overwhelming, lingering in the room he was currently in. He looked around, narrowing his eyes.

At the first sight, it seemed like a typical bar, with poor lighting and a lot of stunning girls running around to take people’s orders, but when looking closer, he noticed exactly what kind of place this was. People from all social strata sitting at the corners and around in comfortable sofas, pretty girls in various costumes walking around, sending them meaningful looks, the bodyguards standing around some richer-looking men. All of the swordsman’s senses rang alarm bells at once. He instantly hated this place.

“Hey there, mister swordsman.” He heard a deep, impassioned voice behind his back and slowly turned around, looking at the woman behind him. She was in her very early twenties _at most_ , but the makeup and jewelry she was wearing… it made her look more mature, and Zoro had a nasty feeling it was a deliberate operation. Golden earrings and bracelets made a pleasant, jingling sound with her every move. Her scent was unbelievably sweet – she smelled like cherries, which reminded Zoro of his childhood. Probably the worst possible combination.

“You are looking for someone, right?” she slurred, watching him curiously “I can tell by the way you’re standing here and simply looking around. Spent a wonderful night with some girl whose name got out of your head? Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll remember it once you come with me.”

“It’s none of your business.” He grunted, turning away. He had to restrain himself from the anger slowly building up within him. That woman… the people who did it to them, they were monsters. The worst trash. They ripped her from any dignity or self-worth, making her lay herself on anyone who would enter the building. A shiver ran through him as he imagined the chef doing the same thing, to any stranger kind enough to set their eye on him. Fuck it, he should had prevented this shit from happening.

A gentle hand stopped him as the woman slowly walked into his sight. “I’m sure she was a good one if you’re so determined to find her in particular.” She smiled widely, her eyes narrowing slowly “It’s always so cute when men like you come back to find their one and only…”

“What do you want from me?” Zoro put on a stone face, giving her obvious signs he _wasn’t_ interested in whatever she was planning to do with him.

“What I want…” she trailed her finger around his lips, folding her other arm around him “is…” her free hand moved over his back, slowly making its way down until he grabbed it – firmly, but making sure not to hurt her. She wasn’t doing anything she wasn’t supposed to, after all – and pulled it back to its previous position.

“How long have you been here?” he asked, letting go. She backed off ever slightly, but was still mere inches from the swordsman, her hand sliding to his chest, making small circles with the tip of her fingernail.

“Time flies when you’re having fun.” The smile on her face shrank into a lustful smirk. Zoro knew this was one of the questions they either couldn’t or didn’t want to answer. Some lost the count of days after a while, only noticing the season changes, if they were on a spring or autumn island, that is. People here didn’t have such luck. “Who knows? The past is the past, what’s important for me _now…_ ”

“Do you know the building well?” his eyes narrowed as his eyes wandered around her face, searching for a clue, a crack in this filled with lust and carelessness mask. “Can you lead me to one person if I ask you to?”

“Ah.” She hummed quietly, looking around “So you _do_ have someone in your cross hair…” Zoro involuntarily leaned back when she moved even closer, her eyes staring deeply into his “Fine then, I can help you find that girl, but everything…” she parted her lips “ _…everything_ in this world has its price.”

“What’s yours then?” his eyes narrowed rapidly.

“You’re a swordsman, a man with honour.” A small smile came on her lips as she whispered “Promise me…” she leaned even closer, her whisper becoming fainter and quieter “Freedom. Take me out of here.” One thing Zoro noticed, she didn’t change her way of speaking, still sounding as if trying to seduce him.

“You have my word.” He stated coldly “Your freedom for information about–“ further words were stuck in his throat as the woman suddenly pressed their lips together, digging her hands into his hair and embracing him with the sweet scent so intense it made his mind blurry for a moment. He wanted to pull back, but the subtle squeeze on his temples stopped him. She slowly broke the kiss, chuckling quietly, leaning closer and whispering quietly to him.

“Be careful what you say out loud. They are _watch-ing_ you.” She mused the word ‘watching’ so smoothly Zoro could hardly understand it. He didn’t look around to check, he knew she was telling the truth. That would explain why she came to him in the first place. If he was observed, they perceived him as a threat, which meant he was strong. That was probably the reason she asked him to drag her out of this shit.

“Well then, swordsman.” She smiled mysteriously, taking his hand and leading him into one of the corridors, a lustful smirk spreading on her face “Let’s hear some more about that acquaintance of yours."

***

Sanji’s hands started to shake as he looked into the same, perfectly clear mirror he had been forced to look into for the past few months. He stared deeply into his own reflection, looking like nothing happened. Like he hadn’t been tortured, taunted and abused for the last couple of days. Like he never really got outside of this room. Like everything about the Strawhats was just a fucking dream. He hated that place, that room, those people, hated himself not only for letting it happen again, but also for almost, _almost_ losing hope in Luffy. He knew his captain would come, he was sure of it.

Still, hatred rose inside him, combined with the feeling of hopelessness, wrapping around his throat, making it hard to breathe. He was sick of it, just like he was of this room. His fists slammed against the desk, unclenching as he exhaled slowly. He had to do something, _anything_ , or he was going to spend the rest of his miserably short life in here. He stood up, looking around. A desk, chair, mirror, large bed, door – always locked unless they allowed him to shower – and clock. No metal, iron objects to damage the walls. _No way out._

In a helpless act of desperation, he kicked the desk with all his strength, he watched it break into splinters. The sight made him quite satisfied, even if his limbs grunted in protest and he could feel hitting some of the fresh bruises and cuts. He wasn’t likely to make it out in one piece once they would find out the mess he had made, but it didn’t matter – here, he was like a dead body anyway. He just didn’t _care._ If by doing this he could raise his chance of getting out by one percent, he would do it without hesitation.

Next came the chair, flying and stopping on the opposite wall. He picked up a particularly large piece left of the desk and slammed it against the wall, trying to at least damage it. The paint came off easily, however the structure remained untouched. He cursed loudly, out of options. Feeling like a trapped animal, trying to calm down but the walls seemed to be slowly closing around him, making it hard to breathe.

The bed wouldn’t do any good, both the clock and mirror were simply useless. Helpless, he turned to the mirror and smashed it with both his hands, watching the pieces fall to the floor and form a reflection of the room – deformed and incomplete. A loud sigh escaped his lips when he leaned his back against the wall, sliding down and just staying there, waiting for the worst. That was precisely when he noticed a certain swordsman stepping inside, carefully looking around until his gaze turned to Sanji.


	8. Running back and forth, or was it forth and back?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which, basically, everyone is running. Hell, Zoro even has to cover the distance twice, which is by itself insane.

“Cook!” said the swordsman, a little louder than usual, and it was different – less like an annoying name thrown out of boredom, more serious, _heavier_ “Are you okay?”

“Seems so.” He said, his voice coming out more as a screech due to his torn throat. He still couldn’t believe the man standing in front of him was actually _the_ Roronoa Zoro, a Strawhat. Like, of course this was no impostor, and of course Luffy promised he would come for him, but it was just a promise – people sometimes failed and it wasn’t their fault for fate turning their back on them. And yet, those people came all the way back from heir adventure only to get him from here.

“We need to get out of here quickly.” Zoro looked back, nodding slightly to someone who stayed out of the chef’s sight “They must have recognized me by now.”

“Right.” Sanji stood up quickly, holding back a curse when his back grunted in protest. _Wait,_ it was his whole body. The dressings did their job of stopping the bleeding, but they didn’t ease the pain one bit. That was going to be problematic if they would have to _run._

As soon as he walked past the door, his eyes focused on the woman standing next to the swordsman. He knew her. They talked a couple of times between different clients when sitting together in the main room. She had family here, on this very island, and couldn’t return because of the debts of her parents or something among those lines. Even though she was surely younger than Sanji, the chef had seen her act more mature than most of the chefs on the Baratie, especially when talking in private. She was a very intelligent woman. No wonder she stuck to Zoro, everyone here sought a way out and the swordsman was more than worth a try. Even despite the consequences of a failure.

“I promised I would get her out of here if she showed me the way to you.” Exclaimed the swordsman, as if Sanji wanted to ask. He had been learned not to ask any unnecessary questions months ago.

“I hope you don’t mind I borrowed your friend over here.” Said the woman, her voice calm and deep. She was trying not to disturb him with her presence, very polite of her but he didn’t need that. They didn’t manage to break him this time, luckily.

“No.” he shook his head “I’m glad you found a way out for yourself.” His voice was so hoarse he seemed like a completely different person and whatever he tried to say came out more like a whisper. It was only to be expected given how much he’d screamed last night.

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” She put a finger to her mouth, but a small smile came on her lips. An honest one.

“I’m not.” He said quietly, following the swordsman who had already started looking for a way out “I trust him with my life.”

***

It wasn’t that Nami didn’t want to get back to Merry as soon as possible, but she wasn’t a pirate only. Her thief instincts were still pretty sharp, maybe that’s precisely why she couldn’t fight the urge when he noticed the traffickers’ ship docked at the harbor as if nothing was odd about it. Damn it, they even had their own jolly roger flapping lazily in the breeze. Just what was wrong about that island?

Licking her lips, he turned around to the girl who’d been following her steps the whole time. Tears stopped flowing down her cheeks, but quiet sobs still escaped her lips from time to time. _What the hell did she know? What did she witness?_ It was impossible to push away the nagging thought that whatever was the reason of the girl’s behavior was strongly connected to Sanji.

_“He was so polite and gentle towards me, but they… they…”_

_Stop it._ Nami shook her head slightly, desperately trying to get rid of the flashing images of Sanji. She knew too well what were the consequences of misbehaving in such a situation, she’d experienced many horrible things when she did something wrong in Arlong’s Park. Thinking about the chef going through similar things made her throat clench. But she had to remain calm. She had something to do, after all.

“Wait for me here.” She told the girl, cautiously looking around. “Hide if possible for a moment.”

“Huh?” Her new acquaintance seemed a little shocked. “Why? What’s happening?”

“Nothing much. There’s just one thing I want to do before we reach the ship. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I promise to make it as quick as possible.” The navigator winked meaningfully, giving her an assuring smirk. What were the odds of anyone watching the ship so early in the morning when it was docked safely in the harbor?

***

Sanji hissed loudly as pain shot through his ankle and spread further, paralyzing the whole limb and going up his spine. Stars burst out in front of his eyes as he felt the leg bend under him and the floor rushed to meet him. He laid there motionlessly for a moment, gritting his teeth as the sensation didn’t back off. For the last couple of minutes he tried to push the thought away, but now that even thinking clearly was hard he couldn’t ignore it any longer. _The painkillers have worn off._

“Are you okay?” he heard Zoro’s voice reaching out to him, but it only made him more annoyed.

“Like hell I am!” he snapped reaching out his hand and clenching it on his thigh, trying to ease the pain. What was meant to be a scream came out more like a screech. “It fucking hurts!” Under normal circumstances he would rebuke himself for using such words in the presence of a lady, but the flames shooting through his entire body were something he could barely bear.

“Can you stand up?” He couldn’t really get a proper look at the swordsman’s face but was it _concern_ he’d just heard? “Answer me, cook!”

“It’s no use.” Something inside Sanji’s mind relaxed a little when he heard the woman’s calm voice. “He’s not going to make it any further. You’ll have to either carry him or leave him. Your ship’s not far away from here so you should be able to make it in no time.”

“I thought you were coming with us.” Said the swordsman, crouching beside the cook.

“This is where we part ways, fortunately or not.” She shook her head, turning away. “I’ve had enough of pirates by now. Thank you for everything.”

“It was a part of our deal, don’t you remember? There’s no need to thank me.” Stated Zoro. “Now go and make sure they won’t find you.”

Sanji heard the woman hum quietly and soon the sound of her footsteps became only an echo ringing in his head. Meanwhile, he felt the swordsman pull him up and throw him on his back the way the cook’s arms were wrapped around his neck.

“And what the hell are you doing?” the question came out more as a hiss when Sanji felt a lightning jolt run through his pelvis.

“I can’t afford wasting time on your falling and cursing.” Retorted the swordsman, moving forward. “Now stop complaining and tell me which way to go.”

“Lost, aren’t we?”

“We’ll be if you don’t start talking.”

***

“We’re here.” Nami smiled widely, pointing her finger at Going Merry. Luckily they managed to find the place they docked so fast, the bag she’d thrown over her shoulder was already beginning to feel heavy. “This is our ship. You can stay there until we reach someplace where it’s safe. As for the charge–“

Any following words got stuck in the navigator’s throat when she noticed the girl’s expression. She was crying, her eyes were open wide in what seemed like terror and she instantly took a few steps away from Nami as though she’d just been burned.

“You…” She stuttered out, her voice trembling. “You’re a pirate?”

“Yeah.” The navigator nodded slowly, raising her eyebrows. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“Stay away!” The girl seemed utterly terrified, and all of a sudden she started shaking. “You never told me you were a pirate!”

“Well, I didn’t think it mattered.” Nami tried to calm her down, raising her hands in a gesture of surrender. “Listen, we’re not going to hurt you. We’ll let you go on the nearest island we dock at. Nothing bad is going happen to you.”

“There’s no way I’ll come with you.” The girl took another step back, shaking her head. “First that, and now you… I never asked for that kind of life.”

“I know how you feel.” The navigator smiled slightly. “I’ve been in a similar situation. I’m not asking you to become a pirate, just let me help you.”

“No.” Another step back and Nami realized the battle was already lost. “I won’t leave this island with you. But please, say _thank you_ to Sanji for me. I owe him my life.”

“I will.” She sighed deeply. “But I doubt he’d ever call you _indebted,_ so don’t worry about that too much. Just stay safe, that would be enough.” That said, she turned around and headed towards the Merry alone.

It’s not like she didn’t understand the girl – she’d been put through quite the trauma lately and starting a fair life could be hard after acquainting thyself with pirates. For some people it was like a decree. Nonetheless deciding to stay on this island was something that went beyond Nami’s imagination. She’d only been there twice as a passer-by, but she was already fed up with it. It wasn’t the kind of place she’d ever like to return to. Leaving it as soon as possible also seemed like a good idea.

“Hey, it’s Nami!” she hear Luffy’s impatient voice as soon as she set her foot on the deck. “Why aren’t you with Zoro? Where’s Sanji? Is he okay?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head quickly. “We separated before we found him. I think he should be with Zoro now. You guys should hurry up, getting him out of there won’t go unnoticed.”

“Alright.” The captain clenched his fists and walked by the navigator, his face a few shades darer than usual. “Then it’s time to kick those guys’ asses. Just you wait, Sanji!”

“The place looks like a restaurant.” All that Nami could afford was a brief explanation, because Luffy was already heading out to the city. “You should find it if you walk the way I came from!” She wasn’t quite sure if the captain heard her, but at least he wasn’t as unreliable with directions as Zoro. He didn’t need a play-by-play. “Aren’t you going with him, Usopp?”

“Of course I’m not going with Luffy.” The man shook his head. “If Merry’s going to be attacked, I need to be there and protect her. The same goes with you.”

“I don’t need your protection.”

“We’ll find out about that.” It would be a lie if the navigator said she wasn’t surprised by the sudden seriousness in her friend’s voice. “I have a very bad feeling about this.”

***

“Sanji, you’re okay!”

Zoro grit his teeth slightly, hearing Nami’s cheerful voice. Of course the cook wasn’t okay. And _of course_ he had to insist on walking the last part on himself to not let it show. But neither Nami or Usopp had to know that for now.

Sanji smiled slightly and Zoro could tell that if he hadn’t his throat torn, he would already say something. He didn’t come here to listen to the cook talking though, he had to get back as soon as possible. Not wasting any more time, he pulled Usopp to the side.

“Keep an eye on him.” He said quickly.

“Pardon me?”

“Make sure the idiot doesn’t engage in anything. He’s hiding it well, but something’s wrong with him.”

“…Okay.” There was a slight hesitation in the sniper’s voice. “But it’s _Sanji._ You know I might not be able to stop him if he wants to–“

“Usopp.” Zoro made clear how serious the situation was. “I entrust this to you. Watch over him until Luffy and I return to the ship.”

“I get it, alright?” Usopp shook his head with a sigh. “I’ll do it. But if he asks any questions, I’m putting all the blame on you, instantly.”

“Fine by me.” The swordsman smirked. “I’ll be leaving now.” That said, he turned away from his crewmate and left the deck quickly, heading where he came from. He had to hurry if he didn’t want let Luffy have all the fun for himself.

“You think he won’t get lost?” Usopp turned to Nami, who watched the swordsman take his first turn. “Letting him go like that wasn’t the wisest idea.”

“It’s impossible to get lose when the damage Luffy’s done is making a huge cloud of dust. Even for Zoro.” He said confidently, and he meant it. Even from where they’d docked he could clearly see where his captain was.

“You’re underestimating him. That’s Zoro we’re talking about.”

“…Well, you might be right.” Usopp bent over the railing in the direction where the first mate had just disappeared. “Don’t get lost, Zoro!”

***

Sanji’s breath got stuck in his throat when he felt Nami’s arms wrap around his neck. It was still hard for him to believe he was actually back on Going Merry and he was a little confused. Even though he knew it was the heavenly navigator, his friend, his body didn’t accept her touch the same way. He felt himself stiffen a little, although he hoped she didn’t notice.

“I’ve been so worried.” Said Nami, burying her head in his chest. He smiled weakly, slowly feeling the dread of being touched step away and make place for the familiar warmth he used to feel while travelling on that ship.

“Right, Sanji.” Usopp tried to put on a serious face, but the wide grin spreading all over his face successfully ruined the image. “I’ve come across every Sea King in the East Blue asking if they’ve seen you, one of them even bit Merry’s head of and so I had to dive inside his stomach to fetch it back on board… all while singing uplifting songs for the rest of the crew!”

“Thanks a lot.” The chef almost chuckled. “Luckily I’m back now.”

“Yeah. I’m afraid even the Great Captain Usopp’s… wait, what’s wrong with your voice?”

“It’s nothing.” He shook his head slightly. “It’ll pass. Tell me, where’s Luffy?”

“He left the ship a while ago.” Explained the sniper, sighing slightly. “As soon as Nami told him Zoro went to find you, he burst out like a rubber rocket, trust me.”

“I see.” Sanji nodded, feeling a huge weight being taken from his chest. He knew how strong the swordsman was, and if it was true that his captain was even better on the battlefield, he could definitely trust those two in turning the damned place into splinters.

“You should have told Luffy.” Sighed Nami, looking him right in the eye. “I know it might sound trivial because we’ve barely known each other and I felt the very same way when he, Zoro and Usopp wanted to rescue me from Arlong, but we wouldn’t let them take you. Perhaps then…“

“I know, Nami. It’s just that…” He felt a little bad for interrupting a lady, but he knew it all. Hearing it from her was an additional blow. All that was left was to hope she wouldn’t feel offended, but it was Nami he was talking about – a merciful maiden of the heavens. “…I didn’t want you to get into trouble.”

“You left the note though.” She narrowed her eyes slightly, raising an eyebrow distinctly.

“I did.” Sanji broke the eye contact with the navigator, his gaze wandering straight to the floor. He felt hopeless. “It’s… I don’t know how to explain it. I really, _really_ didn’t want to go back there and when I got the chance… I was kind of torn. I’m sorry for everything…”

“Don’t you dare!” Usopp’s voice was a tone or two too loud to take it as neutral. The chef looked up at the sniper, whose face showed nothing less than determination. “Don’t _you_ dare say you’re sorry! You have no rights to apologize to us!”

“…What?” Is all that left Sanji’s ever slightly clenched throat in astonishment. It was as quiet as a whisper yet loud enough for both Nami and the sniper to hear.

“The only ones to make apologies is us. We let you go too easily because we thought everything was okay only because you didn’t say it wasn’t.” Was it just the chef’s imagination or were Usopp’s fists clenched all of the sudden?

“Well, it _was_ okay before… _they_ got me.” He tried to defend himself, but the battle was already lost.

“I said you don’t have to explain yourself. I’m terribly sorry for not noticing something was odd!” Usopp bowed his head and Sanji could swear the whole situation couldn’t get any weirder. It was only improper for the sniper to apologize, because he hadn’t done anything wrong. No one expected him to read minds on anything. “Come on, Nami. You too.”

“No!” Sanji raised his hands in defeat, his voice coming out a tone louder than he wanted it too. “I mean it, you don’t have to. You went all the way back from your journey… just don’t.”

“If you don’t want us to feel guilty, Sanji…” spoke up Nami and using the cook’s name felt like pulling the trigger. “…you should also stop. Come on, let me show you something.” She headed towards the room that had previously been his, beckoning him on her way.

He expected many things to come into his sight when he entered the room, and by saying _many_ he meant it. But he definitely wasn’t prepared for what was actually waiting for him there. Of course, gorgeous Nami with the brightest smile he’d ever seen in his entire life. Holding a pair of shoes in one of her hands and a clothes hanger in the other. His three-piece hanging on it as if it had never been removed from its place.

“I figured the ruckus created by your run would give me the opportunity to sneak in, so I took it.” Explained the navigator, the prominent smile not disappearing from her face. Was it pride in her eyes? “It wouldn’t suit any of those thugs anyway. They lack the style.”

Sanji just stared blankly into the piece of clothing for a long while, noticing his jaw ceased to remain shut.

“Thank you.” He said quietly. “I… don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything and wear it.” Nami handed him the suit, putting a hand on his shoulder and wrinkling the flowing material. “I’d love to see you in something different than this silk, it looks weird on you.”

“…Right.” A sigh of relief escaped him as the door closed behind him. He felt his legs giving up and slid to the floor, holding the three-piece tightly, as if someone was to rip it from his hands any moment now. Slowly, he reached to the pockets, looking for the cigarettes and his lighter. No luck there, unfortunately.

Even though the suit itself wasn’t of much use for those thugs, most of them smoked some sort of shit so it was only to be expected that the rest of his equipment would be gone. Not that it mattered to him so much. He could withstand a while without the smokes, damn it, after all he’d been through he should probably swear them off. The odds were drastically low though. A wide smile spread across his face as he looked around, his eyes meeting the same furniture he’d seen when he first woke up on Going Merry.

Those few weeks ago, the sight of those walls filled him with fear and pure disgust – thinking that this would be just another place where he’d have to fulfill the desires of unwashed, groggy pirates. A life possibly worse than the one he’d been living, if they didn’t kill him soon enough that was. Three fundamental desires, huh? _Food, sleep, intercourse._ It was strange how it all had changed now. Those once unappealing walls now provided him what he needed. Inside that room, on board of that ship, he felt _safe._ Surrounded by people who he could trust. Just like on the Baratie.

Right, the Baratie…

***

What Zoro certainly didn’t expect when rushing in the direction of that fucking brothel was the sight of the building still standing. Well, a part of it had already crumbled down thanks to a certain rubber man bursting inside without paying enough attention to find the door, but other than that, the building seemed almost too good.

Well, no such pretty words could describe what was happening outside. An absolute chaos, people from both the ex-restaurant and what was in the back were running out of the building, screaming and trampling over each other. Some of them didn’t even have time to get dressed. The swordsman inhaled deeply. The air reeked of panic. He could feel Kitetsu tremble in excitement, craving for blood.

His gaze turned to a small group of people who’d just left the place. They stood out from the crowd – first, they weren’t running around in terror, and second, probably more important – they were armed. Looking around the place and at the running people. One of them reached his hand and caught a young woman by her hair, yanking her head back in the process. Zoro frowned deeply, realizing who those men had to be.

“Hey, you!” Grunted one of them when he started moving closer. “If you don’t want trouble then better get lost.” He had a short sword hanging by his waist, but other than that he seemed unarmed. Zoro drew Yubashiri out of its sheath and didn’t wait for the man to draw his sword. He didn’t give Sanji the chance to put his guard up, so why would Zoro have mercy now?

The man clearly wasn’t prepared for the swordsman’s attack, because he didn’t even reach his hand for the weapon hanging by his side. He had to be confident that Zoro would back off after his threat. _No such luck._

The others weren’t much better – two of them managed to dodge his attacks, although blocking them was a completely different story. The swordsman snorted loudly, stepping over the pile of bodies and heading into the building. Those people were _weak_ , they would probably even lose to Usopp if they all attacked at once. The thought alone of just how much shit they had to inject into the cook’s veins to make him unable to escape made the swordsman’s blood boil. Well, there had to be someone stronger inside at least.

Luckily, hardly anyone paid attention to him anymore as most of the people were running away in panic. Zoro couldn’t hold back a smirk when he passed the bartender – who quickly stepped away, his a few shades paler when his eyes met the swordsman’s. In the back, things didn’t look differently. There was a gaping hole in place of where one of the walls should be, the heavy scent of mixing perfumes almost faded away completely.

If he only didn’t separate with that woman, chances were he wouldn’t be struggling with which door to choose. The only way for Zoro to get a clue regarding where to head next was either ask one of the armed men running around and trying to catch the escaping women, which wasn’t the most efficient, or checking every single room he came across, which was even worse.

After what felt like hours of moving in the dark, he managed to find a door which didn’t look like the damned rest. It was narrower, darker and there was no number on it. Unless it was a broom closet, chances were he could find some big fish inside. Either way, it was worth trying and with one swift kick he forced the wooden surface to surrender.

Inside, the room looked like an infirmary, but it was really small – only enough space for two medicine cabinets, a desk and a bed. For a moment Zoro wondered how the hell did anyone manage to perform any sophisticated medical tasks inside such small space, which they surely did because the swordsman wasn’t dumb enough to think the worst this room had seen were bruises and nail scratches.

After the brief moment though his attention was fully concentrated on the silhouette sitting at the mentioned earlier desk and writing something in a notebook of some sorts. The man didn’t seem much older than Zoro, although by the way the light was cast he couldn’t get a proper look at the man’s face. The alleged doctor didn’t even care to turn his head in his intruder’s direction.

“If you’re looking for the boss, he’s in the second room, third corridor left.” He said slowly and loudly, making sure the Strawhat’s first mate understood him.

“You seem unnaturally unmoved given this place is about to turn into splinters soon.” Zoro’s eyes narrowed as he grabbed the hilt of Wado. The man wasn’t armed per se, although it was impossible not to notice the sword leaning on the wall beside the desk. Nothing seemed like the doctor intended to use it anytime soon though.

“I couldn’t care less. If this falls, I’ll find myself another job. Now hurry up or you’ll miss him.” His voice sounded a little annoyed by the swordsman’s constant presence. “Oh, and watch out for Beiyo. He has the Mask-Mask Fruit and can mask anyone and anything.”

“That didn’t sound like you don’t care at all.”

“Let’s just say I wouldn’t object if something happened to the guy.” The man stopped his scribbling but still didn’t even turn his head to look at Zoro, the annoyed tone disappearing. “Got under my skin a time or two. Now, are you going to spend the rest of the day here or actually do something for your friend?”

“How do you know?” The grip around the white sword tightened as Zoro almost growled.

“I treated his wounds last night.” The doctor seemed absolutely unmoved by the sudden raise of tension. “Be careful with him. He’s far from okay.”

For a moment the swordsman opened his mouth to ask another question because he’d actually been carrying the goddamned cook to the ship and didn’t notice one wound on him, but then the realization flooded him. _Holy shit._


	9. The fighting

He took back everything he said about those corridors – they didn’t look the same at all. They _were_ the same. What did that doctor say? Was it third corridor left or third door right? Fuck it, he’d been running in circles for way too long now. That man, the one responsible for the cook’s suffering and nightmares, was within his reach for the very first time. He wasn’t going to let this chance slide.

The first moment the swordsman noticed something was wrong when he first thought he was at the right place. It wasn’t about not actually finding the room, though. For some reason Zoro couldn’t really push away the thought of being watched. At first he tried to ignore it, but then Kitetsu started humming quietly, crawling for blood. _Someone_ was close.

All of the sudden, he stopped in his tracks and that was _precisely_ when he became sure he wasn’t imagining things. Whoever had been following him, visibly didn’t expect him to do so, because for a second he could hear their steps behind him. With one swift move Kitetsu was free from its sheath and the swordsman cut through the air behind him blindly.

Just as he expected, a loud _clang_ could be heard when his attack had been blocked, and although he couldn’t see his opponent he was positive they were also using a sword. The force they put into stopping his slash was also quite impressive when compared to others.

“I know about your devil fruit.” He said, narrowing his eyes and increasing the pressure of his attack. “Show yourself.” Just as he expected, a silhouette slowly appeared in front of him.

The man was tall, perhaps even taller than Zoro, but extremely thin at the same time, dark eyes fully concentrated on the Strawhat’s first mate and Kitetsu, meaning the thug actually knew a thing or two about swordsmanship, or at least had enough brains to not let his guard down.

“So I believe that treacherous doctor really told you.” Zoro almost raised his eyebrows when he heard just how low the man’s voice was. “I knew he was waiting to pick up a fight, but to send such a wimp?” The swordsman’s brow twitched slightly at the insult.

“You’re going to take me to your boss.” There was no time to waste and he was well aware of that.

“Wrong.” The man grinned, almost laughing. “ _You_ are going to die a painful death for _ever_ going against him.” Before Zoro got the chance to draw his second sword, his opponent disappeared and got out of his range. The swordsman cursed, looking around. It was going to be a little harder than he expected, plus he didn’t have time for that.

He gasped loudly when he felt the blade slide through his leg and barely got the chance to jump away before it cut through more than just his skin. The attack was so unexpected he almost lost his balance. Looking at his leg, he grit his teeth slightly. It was nothing serious, but still hurt and he felt like putting too much pressure on the leg wouldn’t be the best of ideas.

Instead of another strike, he felt a nudge to the side and jumped away as soon as he realized the man was actually aiming for his swords. His jaw clenched when he looked at his side, only to discover Yubashiri was gone.

“What the fuck have you done?” He growled, clenching his fists and looking around.

“Don’t worry.” He heard a voice _way_ to close to him and before he managed to dodge, he felt a blade slashing through his back. “Your sword is still there, although I doubt you’ll manage to fight with an invisible blade.”

Zoro choked down another curse, feeling blood trickling down his back. The bastard had a point, fighting with an invisible sword, although absolutely possible, would be troublesome. Simply standing there wouldn’t do it either, unless he wanted to get skinned in no time.

“So, what are you going to do now?” Zoro almost lost his composure when he realized the man was standing _right_ in front of him, and thanks to his reflex only he managed to jump away in time. The tip of the blade reached his shoulder, but the cut wasn’t even deep enough to hurt properly.

Good thing, he was getting better at dodging the hits. Bad thing, he’d probably be pierced through a few times already if his opponent didn’t decide to play his damned games on him. _Shit._

He had to figure that out quickly. The man’s ability was truly a huge pain in the ass. He looked around carefully, trying to focus on his hearing, but there were to many sounds around. Screams, crumbling walls, breaking glass… _fuck_ , at this pace he wasn’t going to get rid of the guy at all.

A sudden shake of the building made him lose his balance slightly. Whatever it was that Luffy was doing there, could he be more careful. It’s not like there was anything to grab or hold onto in those goddamned halls.

Suddenly, a smirk spread on Zoro’s face as he realized just the right thing to do. The chances were dim, but given that his time of reaction should be enough to get out of it alive, there _was_ a way to finally stop that hide-and-seek game.

He felt another hit reach his back and cursed when the blade cut through the skin because _holy fuck_ , that hurt a lot. Before his opponent had the chance to jump away though, Zoro quickly turned around and reached his hand. It was a one-in-a-thousand chance, but if he didn’t do anything, he would actually get beaten by that guy. And until he defeated Mihawk, there was no way he was going to lose.

_Bingo._

The swordsman smirked when his fingers clenched around the other man’s arm. Although he couldn’t see it, he was quite sure it was enough to immobilize his opponent’s sword for a short while.

“Game’s over.” He said, tightening his grip and raising Kitetsu, ready to deliver the final hit. He could clearly hear heavy breathing somewhere in front of him. “You better show yourself now.”

He could feel the man fruitlessly struggle against his hold, but after a moment he visibly gave in and the swordsman could clearly see the last bit of color drain from his opponent’s face. His eyes were fully fixed on Kitetsu.

“I have to admit, you got me in trouble for a while there.” Zoro narrowed his eyes slightly. “But the fun’s over. Tell me where your boss is.”

Before he knew it, a fist collided with his stomach and he cursed under his breath. The blow wasn’t half as strong as the cook’s kicks, but it was still unexpected and he could feel his opponent trying to jerk his hand out of the swordsman’s grip. Zoro acted immediately without even realizing it. His heel connected with the steel, pressing hard enough to force the man to let go, then pinned the blade to the ground.

 _Oh shit._ He’d just kicked a sword out of the man’s hand.

He’d just _kicked_ a sword.

Fucking _kicked_ it.

He did _not_ learn that from the cook, for god’s sake!

The man in front of him seemed just as shocked, but this time Zoro wasn’t going to let him take advantage. He forced his opponent to the wall, pressing Kitetsu to his throat. It wasn’t as effective as with those who were actually shorter than him, but the threat was obvious.

The whole building shook slightly and for a moment the sound of crumbling walls silenced everything else. Zoro growled lowly.

“I’ll only ask you once more. Where’s your boss?”

“Straight through the hallway, the last door on left before the turn.” The man was talking so fast Zoro needed a moment to fully comprehend what he’d just said. He smirked slightly, turning the blade and slicing across the man’s shoulder. His opponent screamed and immediately pressed a hand to the wounded place.

“I told you what you wanted to know!” he half-screamed, still a little shocked after what just happened. “Are you just going to kill me like that? Don’t you know what _pride_ is, swordsman?”

Zoro widened his eyes slightly, feeling rage slowly taking over him. Without a warning, he raised Kitetsu and created another nasty gash on the man’s chest. Nowhere near as deep as the one Mihawk gave him, but it was sure to hurt badly.

Consecutive hits followed and it took all of his composure to stop himself from simply cutting the man’s head off. He wasn’t going to let him die so easily, not after what he’d said, what he’d _done_. Taking a deep breath, he sheathed his sword, looking at the man, now laying in front of him, crimson stains slowly but surely spreading over his body.

“Don’t you _dare_ to lecture me about pride.” He growled. “ _You_ don’t know a fucking thing about it. But I won’t kill you just now. You’re not worth it.”

That said, he turned around, rushing in the direction pointed by the man. He felt Kitetsu hum slightly, temporarily satisfied with the amount of blood it was given.

“Don’t be so happy about that.” He mumbled. “He wasn’t even worth you.”

His attention became immediately dragged by a large piece of wall flying right in front of his eyes. Eyes open wide, he looked to the side, only to notice the familiar figure slowly approaching him, a hand on his straw hat, head hung low.

“Luffy!” He shouted, waving his hands to gather the captain’s attention. “There you are! This whole thing’s about to come down! We have to get out of here!”

To his surprise, and just the tiniest bit of worry, Luffy didn’t raise his head with a grin nor did he stretch his arms to give himself and the swordsman a one-way air ride. Instead, he continued slowly walking towards the swordsman with his head lowered.

“We have to get out of there.” Zoro repeated himself in case the captain just didn’t hear him. “Luffy–“ His throat clenched slightly when the man raised his head eventually. His eyes were a great mixture of sorrow and anger, lips pursed.

“He ran.” Said the captain eventually, clenching his fists. “I found his room, but it was empty. He ran, Zoro!”

The swordsman’s eyes widened instantly and he felt his teeth grit. Reluctantly, he choked down a curse and blinked, focusing on Luffy’s words. Until then, he was sure the whole rumbling was caused by Luffy fighting the man. But _if_ it was only Luffy trying to vent out his anger…

“We have to hurry.” He said quickly, looking around for the nearest way of escape. Oh Lord, if what he thought was true, they others were in trouble. “I know where you’ll find him.”

***

Sanji slowly lit up a cigarette, relaxing slightly when he felt his nerves calm down. The amount of stress and fear he’d been put through over the last hours was almost unbearable and all he wanted was to close his eyes and wake up after that mess was all over, but unluckily he didn’t have such luck.

Technically, he should feel safe, because he was back on Merry along with Nami and Usopp, but something in his gut was telling him it wasn’t going to be okay as long as they were still docked. He wanted to leave that place really badly, but Luffy and Zoro still hadn’t come back. Thus, all that was left was to wait for them.

“I knew I like you better in a three-piece.” Nami’s joyful tone got him out of his thoughts and he couldn’t stop a small smile from making its way on his face.

“Thank you.” He took a deep drag and slowly exhaled the smoke, careful to not disturb the navigator. To say he adored her was an understatement. Not only was she a lady, but one of the wisest and most beautiful he’d ever seen. If it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t be there now.

“The sea is beautiful today.” Nami slowly walked towards the railing, watching the calm waves with a smile. “On days like this, everything you want is to lay under the sun and have some well-deserved rest.”

“Indeed.” Sanji nodded slightly, his eyes wandering to Merry’s upper deck. “Speaking of which, your tangerines should be ripe enough for the cocktail I promised you.”

“You remembered?” Her eyes widened, lit by a spark when she smiled even wider.

“Of course I did.” _Of course._ He’d been carefully planning out the recipe over and over again, letting his thoughts wander, letting them escape from what _they_ were doing to him…

“Now, I’d rather if you changed back into what _I_ gave you.”

Sanji’s eyes shot open wide and before he knew it he turned on his heel, his breath catching in his throat. He prayed the voice, _that_ voice was just his imagination toying with him, but Nami’s surprised gasp proved him wrong. Oh, this wasn’t happening. He couldn’t force himself to move a muscle when his eyes met the man’s ones. It almost felt as if his brain had been trapped in a cage, making him unable to think clearly, to move, to do _anything._

“You didn’t _really_ think I’d just let you go like that, did you?” A low chuckle made the chef’s blood freeze. Anxiety rose inside him as he finally managed to take a step forward, covering the navigator from the man’s eyes with his own body.

“Stay behind me, Nami!” His voice was a tone too loud to be perceived as calm and he almost cursed himself for showing such weakness in front of a lady, but if _that_ man laid his filthy hands on her…

“Chivalrous as always.” The boss grinned widely. “I guess old habits die hard. Well, we’ll worry about that later.” Sanji grit his teeth. He was in no shape to fight the man given he could barely move without causing shots of pain running through his entire body.

“I’m not going anywhere.” He said, this time with the slightest control over his tone.

“I wouldn’t say it’s very manly to lie in the presence of a woman…” The man shook his head slowly. “But just so you know, I’m even willing to forgive you helping that new girl escape if you come voluntarily.” Sanji clenched his fists tightly at the mention of the girl from earlier. That man, what he did to her, what _they_ did…

“Well, don’t mind it.” The boss raised an eyebrow, visibly amused by the chef’s reaction. “It’s not like she would be of any use after how the boys treated her either. You, on the other hand–“

“That’s enough!”

Sanji couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows hearing the sniper’s tone being so full of anger. He didn’t look back, turning away from the boss would be far too risky, but he could feel just how much, for some reason, was his friend mad. It didn’t matter at the moment, though. If he only managed to hold the intruder for long enough before Luffy and Zoro came back–

“Stay back, Sanji!”

Usopp’s sudden shout made the chef stop in his tracks, his mouth partly opened from the astonishment. He didn’t even move a finger when the sniper’s silhouette passed him by, coming in the way between him and the boss.

“No matter what happens.” Carried on the sharpshooter, pulling out his slingshot and aiming it at the large man standing in front of him. “I won’t let you fight this guy!”

“What are you talking about? I can handle him–“

“No, you can’t!” It was the first time he’d seen Usopp so determined, the man’s eyes fully concentrated on the boss, who still refused to make a move, only standing there with that disgusting grin of his. “You’re in no shape to fight him, so stay out of it!”

Before Sanji got the chance to answer, the boss started chuckling and it made his blood freeze in his veins. It was the kind of laugh he used to hear multiple times before, and the thought alone of it was enough to paralyze him. Fear slowly made its way into his consciousness, embracing his mind and taking control of all the nerves. It shouldn’t be happening, Luffy and Zoro went down there to get rid of this guy…

“I knew it.” Said the boss once he stopped chuckling. “It was wise to get to the ship before those two come back. I figured they’ll leave the shrimps on board, and here you are.” His gaze wandered towards the chef and a shudder ran down Sanji’s spine when the man licked his lips, looking like a predator examining his prey.

“I’ll only say it one time! Leave this ship right now and no harm will be done!” Usopp’s voice was _this_ far from trembling, but he was the King of Liars after all. He was willing to trick anyone and bullshit his way out of any mess if his friends’ lives were at stake.

“My business has been ruined.” Continued the man, visibly unmoved by the threat. “But I’m not the type to give up so easily, you know that, don’t you? _Sanji._ ” Usopp didn’t have to look back to feel the chef’s icy cold stare on the man. The atmosphere tensed. “I will only repeat this one time. I’m taking you with me. There’s no way I’d let one of my favorites go.”

Usopp didn’t and didn’t want to ask what exactly did those words mean. He’d seen and heard enough, and refused to listen to anything that didn’t come out of Sanji’s mouth. Unless _he_ wanted to tell him, the sniper wouldn’t listen.

“You’re not taking him anywhere.” Nami’s cold and seemingly bored tone visibly caught the man’s attention. “He’s a part of our crew now, whether you like it or not. Deal with it.”

“Cold, aren’t we?” The man whistled, smile not ceasing from his face. “After a second thought, why wouldn’t I also take you with me? You’re also quite pretty, young lady. I bet you’d attract quite the attention if I put you in some nice clothes…” The way he was looking at Nami… just like a client looking at a product on display in a candy store. Somehow it triggered another shiver of disgust from Usopp.

“That’s enough!” he said, knowing that the man was simply playing with them, taunting Sanji by hitting his weak points. Any more and the sniper wouldn’t be able to stop the cook from engaging in a fight, and the last thing they needed right now was him being taken away. _Again_. “Sanji, take Nami and get out of here. Leave this guy to me.”

“We’re not leaving you.” He heard a short, sharp response and sighed slightly, turning around so that his eyes could meet Sanji’s.

“Listen up, both of you.” He cleared his throat. “You’re speaking with the Great Captain Usopp, brave warrior of the sea who fears nothing. Have I told you how I defeated the monstrous wild boar in South Blue using a toothpick and bread crumbles only? Helping me fight this guy would hurt my honour.” A slight, confident smirk spread on his face as he noticed they both understood what he was aiming at, more reluctantly than not.

“And there you got me thinking your captain was the boy with the straw hat.” The man said, gaining the sniper’s attention. “Was I badly informed, Captain Usopp?”

“Perhaps you were.” Usopp smirked slyly. “I have no reason to answer that question.”

“From what you’ve just said, I get it you’re not quite as weak as you look like.” A dagger shone in the man’s hand as he took a step forward. “Unless you were bluffing, which I’m way more eager to believe judging from how _shaky_ your legs have become.”

“This is how I warm up before beating up thugs like you.” Usopp forced himself to hold on that cocky smile while he tried to gain control of his trembling knees. Goddamn it, he was scared as hell now that the man’s gotten serious, but as long as he could lie his way out he should be able to hold this guy before Luffy and Zoro came back.

“Well then, have it your way.” The man took a step closer, a dangerous flash in his eyes making Usopp’s skin crawl. “Let’s find out how much truth there is in your words, brave warrior.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t make another step if I were you.” Said the sniper after the man took another step, holing his hand up and putting his goggles on.

“Why so?”

“You see, Going Merry’s flooring boards are quite tricky for newcomers.” Usopp reached to his bag, pulling out a sure-kill-pepper-sauce-star and putting it in his slingshot, aiming for the floor. “It you hit some of those with as much as this simple little rock… they’ll bite back.”

He barely managed to cover his eyes before the stinging contents of his bullet spread in the air. Damn it, if he was going to get new goggles in the future, he’d make sure they’ll also protect his eyes. A quiet groan could be heard as the sniper’s opponent visibly wasn’t prepared for what was coming.

“I see.” He said after a while, rubbing his eyes and blinking rapidly. “So you set traps in the floor. A smart move indeed. Does that mean you were expecting me?”

“Perhaps we did.” Usopp smiled to himself victoriously, feeling he now got the upper hand.

“So I take it you’re not the kind of shrimp I’ve been you taking you for.” The man smiled, slowly opening his eyes and giving Usopp a predatory glare. “You’ve got some brains, kid. If so, tell me, how come you acquainted yourself with such trash?” He laughed out loud, a smirk spreading on his face.

Usopp remained silent, taking out another sure-kill star and slowly aiming it at his opponent. Getting into a fight with him wasn’t a wise idea. He had to keep him busy until Luffy or Zoro returned because one glance at the man as enough to tell he and the sniper were on completely different levels.

“You see, I’ve been quite concerned when I found out such a valuable toy got away with some pirates. You though, you seem a little young for such kind of entertainment.” It took a few seconds for Usopp to connect the dots, but once the very ridiculous idea finally formed in his head he could feel the tips of his ears burn. Just what the hell was that man trying to imply?

“Ah, turns out life’s full of surprises.” The sniper’s opponent took a step forward, raising his eyebrow a little. “If you wanted to have some fun with that one, I would’ve arranged a meeting for you. It’s quite selfish of your captain to keep Sanji all for himself–“

“Hey, hey.” Usopp pulled the rubber stronger, a subtle warning. “I don’t care how twisted your thoughts are, but Sanji is our friend. He’s not coming with you.”

“Now, that’s an unexpected turn of events.” The man chuckled loudly, moving closer to Usopp until he was standing mere feet from the sniper. “Here I thought I actually met someone reasonable, but you’re just another fool in my way now, aren’t you? You have no idea how precious that toy is, how skilled, how–“

“I said I don’t care!” The sudden hostility in the sharpshooter’s voice visibly displeased the man, as his face went a shade or two darker. “I’m not going to listen to you insulting my crewmate! Now, you have exactly five seconds to leave the deck and get out of my sight or–“

“A shame indeed.” The man shook his head, pulling out a gun and pointing it right between Usopp’s eyes. “And here you got me thinking about leaving you alive to tell the tale to your captain, _brave warrior_. I asked you before how come you’ve acquainted yourself with a being so miserable as one of my whores and now I’ve got the answer. You’re just as weak and pathetic as he is, you know? Nota bene, I surely must be lucky to come all the way to you and avoid all the floor traps, right?”

“You won’t get the chance to fire that gun if I let go of my bullet right now.” Usopp swallowed hard, praying to whatever gods there were to help him keep on a brave face. The man smirked slightly, looking at his weapon.

“I guess there’s only one way to find out–“

Usopp didn’t even think of letting his opponent finish. He had no choice of beating a goddamned _gun_ aimed right at his head. With one swift move he let go of his sure-kill flash star and fell to the floor as soon as possible. The man seemed to know what was going on, however, because he fired his gun almost immediately.

_Shit._


	10. The fighting (part 2)

Sanji took two steps back from the window, utterly blinded by the light. He heard Nami’s surprised gasp as she probably didn’t see it coming, too. Trying to get rid of the light blinding him, the chef started blinking fast, but for a few seconds he was left in a void of light and truth be known, it made him a little uneasy.

“Oh my god, Sanji!” He heard the navigator’s scream even before he regained his sight and walked back to the window as soon as possible, looking in the direction she was pointing. His eyes widened.

The boss was standing there, still blinded and visibly confused, but what was in front of him made both Nami and him freeze. Usopp was on the ground, laying motionlessly like a doll, his eyes closed, a small pool of crimson liquid forming under him.

“It can’t be.” Whispered Nami, covering her mouth with her hands and shaking her head. “Usopp couldn’t have…” The chef grit his teeth slightly.

“Listen, Nami.” He said, turning to her. “We have to stay there until Luffy and Zoro come back. Whatever happened to Usopp, we’ll take care of him, I promise. For now, you need to hide somewhere before–“

“I’m not hiding, Sanji-kun.” She shook her head, giving him a sad look. “You’re in a worse shape than I am now. I know it. Whatever happens, I won’t let you go again.” Sanji wanted to retort her, convince her to listen to him because if the boss laid his hands on her… he blinked a couple of times, horrifying images passing through his mind. The fight was already lost, he knew that no matter what he was going to say, the navigator had already decided.

“Okay then.” He simply said, watching the boss move step over Usopp’s body and head towards them, a smile making its way on his face. “But promise me you won’t try to fight him.” His sudden request visibly surprised her a lot and she even opened her mouth to respond. “ _Please,_ Nami.”

***

“Stop right there!”

His breath was heavy because _God, this was way too close,_ but his arms were steady as he once again aimed for the man’s head. There was no way he was going to let him fire that gun again.

“Take _one_ step in the direction of that door and you’re a dead man!”

The man didn’t retort, but he indeed stopped moving forward. For a moment they both stood there, Usopp’s eyes fixed on the back of his opponents’ scalp, his thoughts desperately racing and trying to sort out what to do next. None of his techniques would work on that man, moreover he was up against the wall. _Luffy, Zoro. Hurry up!_

“Hands up, so that I can see them!” There was no hesitation in the sniper’s voice. His friends lives were on the line, he was _not_ going to slip. The man slowly raised his hands, one of them still clenched around the gun.

“Throw the gun away! Now!” The man did as said, then slowly turned to the sniper, raising his eyebrows.

“And there you got me thinking I actually shot you.” He said, a smirk slowly spreading on his face. Usopp didn’t like it one bit. “How come I’ve been fooled?”

“It’s a secret technique I learned on my journey to the Land of Snipers.” Answered the sharpshooter. “I had to escape with thirty of their best shooters after my head, all with a bullet in my left knee. Of course your gun won’t work on me.”

“Oh, yeah?” The man raised an eyebrow, almost chuckling at the sniper’s words. “I may not be as great as those snipers, but let’s see if you can dodge _this._ ”

Even before the last of words left the man’s mouth, he reached his hand to his side and before Usopp knew it, another gun was pointed at his head. He cursed his lack of cautiousness and let go of the Sure-Kill Explosive Star he was aiming at the man. It wouldn’t do any good. It wasn’t going to make it in time.

A loud _bang_ could be heard and the sniper knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge it this time.

*******

Zoro couldn’t hold back a smirk when he felt the bullet split on the edge of Wado. Cutting through cannon balls was one hell of fun, but it was nothing compared to _that._ Not lowering his guard, he looked around the deck. Usopp was standing behind him, covered in crimson. _Blood?_ No, if that was blood, the sniper would’ve been long dead. And because it wasn’t, he was going to be fine.

The actual _problem_ was standing a few feet away from him, with a particularly annoying small smile on his lips and a gun in his hand. Behind him was the galley door and he was quite sure Nami and the cook were hiding there. It didn’t take long for him to connect the dots.

_A loud bang almost made Zoro lose his balance and immediately attracted his attention as blinding light flashed somewhere behind the buildings. It lasted for only a second and if Zoro didn’t trust his senses that much he’d probably just think it was a trick his imagination decided to play on him._

_“It’s Usopp.” He heard._

_“Yeah.” The swordsman didn’t really know why he responded, mostly because there was no question. Perhaps because he just wanted to assure himself. “We have to hurry up.”_

_A few turns and way too long minutes of running they finally saw it – the Going Merry, standing gloriously, the polished wood reflecting rays of the rising sun. If the swordsman looked closer, he could spot the sniper’s silhouette, aiming his slingshot at another person, who apparently seemed to had surrendered._

_“Zoro!” Something was wrong with Luffy’s voice. It all seemed like Usopp had the upper hand, so why did the captain sound worried? “A gun! He’s going to shoot!”_

_The swordsman didn’t need anything else. As fast as he could, he dashed towards the deck. In the corner of his eye, he noticed the unknown man quickly pulling out the weapon and aiming it at Usopp and firing it._

_Zoro, however, had no intention of letting the bullet hit his crewmate._

“Good job holding this guy here, Usopp.” He heard Luffy’s voice behind his back as the captain slowly stepped on the deck. It was quiet, however the dangerous vibe could be clearly perceived. “Zoro, take care of everyone. The man’s mine.”

“Roger that.” Zoro watched the man carefully and took a few steps back, grabbing Usopp’s arm and pulling him.

“Wait, Zoro!” stuttered out the sniper. “How do you plan getting by that man?”

“He’ll let us pass.” Stated the swordsman, heading towards the galley door and pointing Wado at the man’s throat, every muscle in his body tensing in anticipation of a surprise attack. “If he doesn’t want to get his neck slashed, that is.”

“I’d never.” The man didn’t stop chuckling, but didn’t lower his weapon either. “I would hate disturbance while beating the shit out of your captain. He’s not the type though, to take him. You though could make a decent guard. Name your price.”

Zoro felt Usopp’s hand clench around his shoulder and pull at him, and that moment he realized how close to the man he’d moved, the tip of Wado resting mere inches from his neck. Reluctantly, he pulled back and headed towards the door, his eyes constantly fixed on the gun the man was holding.

“I can’t be bought.” He stated bluntly after a short while. “I serve my captain alone.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” The man chuckled, shaking his head slightly. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I can tell you have ambitions, kid. You’re nothing like that failure you tried to snatch out of my hands. Wasting yourself on a ship of failures like that...”

“Enough.” Luffy’s seemingly calm voice cut whatever retort Zoro was about to serve off. “Zoro, get Usopp inside and wait there until I’m done with this guy.”

“Roger.” Zoro opened the door with his one hand and waited until the sniper got inside, the whole time being fully concentrated on the man. Guns were usually faster than swords, that’s why he had to be careful if he didn’t want to score a bullet to his head.

“One more thing.” The sound of the captain’s sandals echoed through the deck as he moved closer. “ _Don’t_ look outside before I say so.” Zoro grit his teeth, nodding slowly before he entered the galley and carefully closed the door.

_Captain’s orders._

***

“Usopp! You’re alright! I thought that first bullet really hit you!” The sniper couldn’t hold back a victorious smirk. Even though his knees were still trembling.

“Ah, you mean that guy’s little gun?” He shook his head, chuckling. “Fooling him was a piece of cake with my Sure-Kill Ketchup Star. More importantly…” He turned to Zoro. “Why do you only have two swords? And you’re bleeding.”

“I’m fine.” Grunted the swordsman, crossing his arms and taking a seat. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh sure, it looks _nothing_ like a big deal.” Nami rolled her eyes, taking a closer look at him. “Why do you always have to be so reckless?”

“I said it’s not a big deal.” The swordsman frowned slightly, sighing. He’d been through a lot of worse and those injuries have mostly stopped bleeding. The guy’s blade was nowhere near as sharp as any of his swords. “I just came across a guy with a particularly nasty devil fruit, that’s all.”

The way Sanji’s face went a few shades darker after his word’s didn’t go unnoticed by Zoro, although he decided not to make a comment about that. Not when Nami or Usopp were anywhere nearby.

Involuntarily, he reached his hand to his side, assuring himself Yubashiri was still there. Even now it was a pain, the thought alone of losing it somewhere on the run without even realizing that kept haunting him while he and Luffy were running back to Merry.

“You’re hopeless.” The navigator sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Well, I’m too tired to argue with you anyway. It’s been a long night.”

“Then it seems like we have something to agree on.” Zoro smirked slightly, closing his eyes for a moment. It was kind of strange for them to simply sit there like that and talk about nothing while Luffy was still fighting, but on the other hand, the swordsman knew the boss was really a shrimp. He wondered just how much shit they had to pump into the cook to make him unable to fight back.

Well, it wasn’t like there as any reason to doubt Luffy, even if the guy actually managed to put up a fight. It was the future King of Pirates they were speaking about, after all. Some lowlife pimp didn’t stand a chance against him. Although Zoro was aware of how his captain respected life and thus usually refused to finish off defeated enemies, he didn’t expect that man to get out alive. Not like he’d have any chances if it was anyone from the crew in Luffy’s place.

“Well, I know the time might not be right…” Usopp spoke up, clearing his throat. “But after Luffy’s finished with that guy, why don’t we throw up a small party? You know, just the five of us?”

“A party?” Nami raised her eyebrows instantly. “Are you insane? A party, _now_?”

“Well, the last one ended up pretty bitterly.” The sniper raised both his hands in defense. “I thought arranging another one would help improve the mood. Besides, isn’t a little entertainment what we all need right now?”

“You’re just hungry!”

“Actually.” Zoro opened one of his eyes, a small smirk making its way on his lips. “I think it’s not a bad idea.”

“And _you_ just want the booze, don’t you?” Nami narrowed his eyes.

“Well, it’s not lie I’m going to eat anything Usopp’s going to make.”

“Hah.” Snorted the sniper, crossing his arms. “You’re underestimating the Great Captain Usopp! Have I already told you how I was forced to cook a gourmet feast for the King of Giants…”

“Cut it off.” The navigator interrupted him, shaking her head slightly. “We all know you add tabasco to everything you’re trying to make. Leave it to me.”

“Well, better safe than sorry. At least we’ll have extra resources in case we’re attacked–“

“Actually…” For the first time since they’ve closed the door, the cook decided to speak up and something in the way how quiet his voice came out hit Zoro like a slap to the face. “Why won’t you guys let me cook?”

It took an impressive part of Zoro’s self-control not to snort at the question. They had just rescued the cook from a fucking _brothel_. Cooking should be the last thing on his mind at the moment, given how exhausted and hurt and shocked he had to be.

“Well.” Usopp cleared his throat after a moment of awkward silence. “We thought you’d like to have some rest and let us take care of everything. You must be tired…”

“I haven’t had the opportunity to cook in a while.” The cook shook his head slowly, putting on a small smile. “It wouldn’t be a problem, really.”

Nami visibly didn’t share the cook’s feelings because she opened her mouth to protest, but before she could form her thoughts into words, the galley door creaked and slowly opened. All eyes immediately focused on the captain, who entered the room with his head hung low, fists clenched.

The air around him was heavy, suffocating. Zoro had never felt anything like that before. It certainly wasn’t fear, because Luffy was his friend, but it also wasn’t respect nor awe. Whatever it was, it made his blood freeze in his veins for a short moment, and the swordsman was positive he would _never_ forget that feeling.

But as soon as Luffy’s eyes met Sanji’s, the terrifying aura was immediately replaced with a wide grin they all knew so well just like nothing had happened and Zoro felt his body relax involuntarily.

“Sanji!” Luffy’s smile narrowed slightly when he started speaking. “It’s good to see you back!”

“…Yeah.” Muttered out the cook and for some reason Zoro felt like he had been interrupting a very personal scene between the two. It was only a brief thought, though.

“Do we have any meat left?” The captain cocked his head to the side, covering his stomach with a hand. “I’m so hungry, Sanji!”

As soon as the words came out of the captain’s mouth, Zoro exchanged meaningful looks with Nami and Usopp, knowing that arguing about the cook’s state and cooking would be fruitless. After all, captain’s orders were orders, no matter how trivial they could sound.

“I guess that settles our little talk.” Nami said with a sigh, standing up and patting the cook’s shoulders. Zoro wished he didn’t notice how the man slightly tensed up. “Call me if you need anything, Sanji.”

“I’ll be fine, thank you.” The man shook his head slowly, giving her a half-hearted smile.

Zoro waited for Luffy and Usopp to also leave the room before he did, but the heavy sigh that escaped the cook stopped him. He turned around, only to see the bastard slightly crooked, leaning on the counter with hair covering his face. Without a word, Zoro closed the door, making sure the others won’t disturb him. He wanted to talk to the cook for a long time now.

“And there you got me thinking you weren’t actually tired at all. Could’ve fooled me” The cook visibly didn’t expect Zoro to actually stay, because he flinched before starting to bustle around the room. “I think you should get some rest.”

“ _This_ is how I _have some rest_ , thanks for worrying about me.” Came the short response as the man started searching through the cupboards, visibly looking for something. The swordsman narrowed his eyes slightly. Sanji looked a lot better in his three piece, sleeves rolled up, bandages covering his whole arms and neck… wait.

“What the fuck.” Is what escaped his mouth before he’d fully registered what he was saying. Sanji turned to him, raising an eyebrow, and then noticed what the other man was talking about.

“Oh fuck.” He muttered. “It’s Beiyo. You left him bleeding out for this whole time or what?”

“You’re covered in dressings.” Zoro assured himself the bandages couldn’t be seen before as he would remember the small but growing stain of crimson spreading on the cook’s arm. “Take off your shirt.”

“Oh… I never took you for _their_ type.” Although Sanji smiled and made it sound like a joke, the swordsman couldn’t not notice the small change in the way he looked at him. _Holy shit. Is that fear?_

“I’m serious, cook! How much did they hurt you? Show me.” He tried to sound as harmless and convincing as possible. The other man narrowed his eyes for a moment, but soon stripped himself above the waist, unceremoniously throwing the clothes at the countertop.

Zoro’s teeth clenched as he couldn’t see a single uncovered spot on the cook’s torso and neck, some of the dressings had already changed their colour to crimson. The other thing he noticed, there were dark shadows under Sanji’s eyes and he looked _really_ exhausted.

“Those need to be changed.” Stated the swordsman, eyeing the cook up once more and trying _not_ to count the places where blood made its way to the surface.

“I know. I’ll take care of them as soon as I’m finished here.” Replied the cook, turning to his clothes and putting them back on.

“You have to do it now.” Zoro’s cold gaze met Sanji’s ocean eyes and for a moment they simply stood there, staring at each other. After a few seconds though the cook turned his look away and something about it made the other man’s throat clench.

“I said something.” With a few quick slices of the kitchen knife meat and vegetables were already on a frying pan, the pieces perfectly even. Zoro looked closer at the cook operating with the blade, and he wasn’t Roronoa if that man didn’t have the perfect grip of a swordsman. For some fact he couldn’t shake the thought off.

“So did I.” He finally managed to retort.

“Listen up.” If Zoro had to decide, the cook’s voice was filled more with exhaustion rather than anger, there was something in it that gave him a strange _I know I’m tired but don’t fuck with me_ vibe. “If you think I’ll die from it, I won’t. I’ve lived through worse and I’ve had such things open several times a day but somehow I am still alive.”

_Fuck._

The swordsman frantically pushed away the images of how exactly could the other man’s wounds _open several times a day_. He looked down, feeling how badly he had just screwed up. He knew the hood had been through worse, but something in the corner of his mind was still whispering to protect him… _No fucking way._ The cook was a strong man, but as he managed to prove a couple of times, _a little_ altruistic.

“You had to have a good doctor there though. I’ve never seen any scars on you.” He tried to change the topic, but for some reason it made Sanji seem even more tired than before, as if the conversation with Zoro was exhausting for him.

“Mask-Mask ring a fucking bell?” asked the cook and Zoro had to restrain himself for cursing his own stupidity under his breath. “I’m sorry. It’s… it’s been a fucking hard day.”

“Don’t apologize to me.”

“Your call then.” A shadow of a smirk danced around Sanji’s features, as if he was trying to mock the swordsman again. “Seriously though, thank you for coming.”

“Wouldn’t you do the same?” Snorted the swordsman because hearing a _thank you_ from Sanji isn’t something he was used to. Truth be known, he didn’t even need his thanks. It’s not like he didn’t want to get him out of there anyway.

Sanji only hummed in response, turning to the pan and flipping over its content. A loud hiss could be heard as he literally jumped away from it, immediately letting the tap water run and putting one of his hands under the cold stream. Zoro couldn’t hold back a muffled chuckle as he watched the cook’s unexpected reaction.

“Holy shit!” cursed the cook loudly.

“What was that?” This time the urge to taunt the other man won and the swordsman laughed out loud.

“Shut up. The old geezer would die laughing if he saw what happened. Such a simple mistake, who am I, you?” For a moment Zoro considered talking back to the other man, but he eventually abandoned the thought. First, he was not in the mood to piss the tired cook anymore, and second he was probably right anyway and there was a relatively simple way to prove it the swordsman would rather _not_ try.

“Ever miss him?” he asked instead and one look at Sanji was enough to tell he didn’t expect such kind of reaction from Zoro.

“I guess. I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye. It kind of sucks. Yeah.” He nodded, as if assuring himself what he was saying was right. “Anyway, starter’s ready. Want to snatch some before Luffy inhales it all?”

“Sure thing.” Zoro waited a while for the man to lay the fried snacks on a plate and took one of them. It wasn’t large enough for three bites, but he wasn’t hungry anyway. Sanji didn’t even wait for him to comment on his creation as he rolled his sleeves down, hiding the dressings, and headed out with the rest of the meal. The swordsman took a bite of the snack and suddenly felt his stomach churn as he realized one important thing.

The others weren’t going to like it.


	11. Lick your wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanji's back, but he's not _fine_.

Zoro yawned, leaning his head back and feeling the mast’s cold surface press against it. Everyone was probably asleep already and even his eyelids felt heavy after carrying on so long on pure adrenaline. Giving it a second thought, he missed his afternoon nap last night. As well as the midnight one. _As well as_ the morning one. Shit, no wonder he was tired.

“Fuck.”

The swordsman’s head immediately turned into the direction of the voice, which ninety-percent belonged to none other than the shitty cook. Even though the voice was muffled and came from the bathroom, it still was loud enough to hear from the crow’s nest, so the matter had to be rather serious.

Definitely, checking it out seemed like a good idea.

What he _didn’t_ expect was the sight of the man sitting on the floor, one of his sleeves rolled up, slightly crimson-stained bandages already taken off it and dirtying the surface. A bucket full of water, which was already slightly hued, and a cloth were standing nearby as well as the first-aid kit they used to keep in the galley. Zoro noticed one of the cook’s arm was bleeding. More than it should be.

Before he could open his mouth and ask a question, though, he noticed a pair of sky blue eyes piercing a hole through him as the cook visibly didn’t expect being disturbed in _a bathroom_ of all places.

“I’m only going to say this once.” He spat out between grit teeth. “Get. The fuck. Out.”

To be honest, Zoro _could_ just leave the bastard then and there and the cook wouldn’t bleed out, but after giving it a second thought, he remembered all the places where the man’s blood leaked through his dressings. Taking care of it properly by oneself couldn’t really be possible.

“Looks like you’re going to need help with this one.” He said, stepping closer. Sanji’s sharp flinch made him stop in his tracks.

“I’m not going to repeat myself.” He said, breathing heavily. Whatever it was on his arm, it was hurting him and probably meant trouble. “I at least deserve some privacy _here,_ don’t it?”

“You’re injured.” Stated Zoro, crossing his arms.

“I’m _fine,_ so–”

“You’re not!” Zoro really didn’t want to raise his voice, but the cook’s behavior was starting to piss him off seriously. It wouldn’t be a problem if it was a knife cut or a bruise, but the man knew he needed help and even though rejected Zoro’s hand reaching out to him. It was frustrating. “You always keep saying you’re fine and nothing bothers you _except_ it actually _does_.”

Sanji opened his mouth to say something, but after a moment visibly changed his mind and closed it shut. Silence fell between as neither intended to back off nor take a step too far.

“Look.” Zoro spoke up eventually, narrowing his eyes. “You either let me help you with this or I’m calling Nami. This instant.”

“You’re not serious.” Although trying to keep on his cold composure, the cook widened his eyes slightly, his breath became a little faster which didn’t go unnoticed by the swordsman. Threatening him with Nami was a low blow, but hopefully the end would justify the means later.

“Trust me, I am.” Zoro put on a stony face, crossing is arms. Giving it a second thought, he probably wouldn’t call the navigator even if the cook insisted on being so stubborn.

He’d rather go to Usopp on this, firstly because waking the sniper up would be nowhere near as challenging as trying to get the sea-witch out of her bead, leaving alone that he’d get charged for it. Secondly, whatever the cook had against the navigator seeing him like this should be respected, even if he was an idiotic bastard.

“Calm down though, I think we both agree it would be better to solve this matter including as few people as possible.” The swordsman sighed deeply. “I don’t know what problem you have with me that you always act like a jerk when I want to help you, but I’m not going to let you bleed to death only because for some reason you fucking started hating me.”

“You…” The cook narrowed his eyes slightly, shaking his head. “You’re fucking stupid. It’s not about you. Just…” He trailed off slightly, running a hand through his hair and gritting his teeth. Zoro could only guess he more or less knew what the cook wanted to tell him. “Fuck it. Do whatever you want. But I warn you – it’s not pretty.”

Zoro didn’t like the resignation in the man’s voice one bit but didn’t comment on that. He watched the cook slowly take off his shirt and remove the dressings covering his chest. As the last of what was covering his torso fell down to the floor, Zoro’s breath got caught in his throat.

The amount of places where the cook’s skin remained untouched was _way_ too low to call the bastard _fine._ Shallow cuts covered his arms and chest, deeper ones closed with stitches. It quickly occurred to Zoro the one he noticed earlier was likely to have been closed surgically before. Apart from it, some smaller injuries were bleeding weakly, although they didn’t seem serious. Whoever that doctor Zoro came across was, he surely knew a thing or two about treating wounds.

The next thing that crossed his mind was just how bruised the cook was. Most of the purple marks covered the area of his ribs, which were likely to be cracked, some smaller ones could be seen on his forearms and around his wrists, probably a result of being. Zoro fought a wave of nausea when he realized he could clearly see finger-shaped marks on his friend’s torso and hips. He didn’t want to think about where did the small bruises on the cook’s collarbones and the bottom of his neck come from either.

There were also other wounds; little circle-shaped burns on the lower parts of the cook’s stomach which the swordsman could only guess came from lit cigarettes. He couldn’t really get a proper look at the other man’s back, but nothing seemed like he’d find something in a greater need of closing than the cut on his arm.

“I think we should take care of that first.” He pointed his head at the said injury, frowning slightly.

“I’ve already figured that in case you didn’t notice.” Came the short response as the cook snorted. “Seriously though, it won’t close. I think you’ll have to stitch it up.”

“Me?” Zoro raised his eyebrows significantly.

“Trust me, I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I hadn’t tried first.” The cook gave him a serious look. “Turns out it’s not that easy to do with only one hand.”

Zoro cursed under his breath.

***

“Okay, cook. Here I go.” Warned him the swordsman, a needle in his one hand, the other securing the cook’s arm. Sanji nodded slightly, trying to calm down his breath. “Just so you know, I’ve _never_ done this before so it’ll most likely leave a nasty scar.”

Sanji almost arched his back in pain when he felt the needle go through his skin. It was nothing like an injection, it hurt so badly he cursed into the cloth Zoro gagged him with to muffle any potential screams and avoid him from damaging his teeth. The swordsman noticed his reaction and hesitated, but the cook shook his head slowly. They _had_ to do it, so there was no use in making this any longer than necessary.

“Try not to trash too much.” Zoro tried to sound soothing, which didn’t even come out half-bad, if the cook was to judge. “I’d hate to accidentally pierce through the wrong spot.”

The consecutive pain of the needle going through his skin and itchy feeling the thread left were close to unbearable if he didn’t want to move. Any further and he was sure he was going to bite through the cloth, his other fist clenching tightly. He knew the swordsman was but too aware of his reactions, but he kept slowly closing the wound inch by inch, his concentration fully fixed on the task.

Truth be known, a part of Sanji was grateful he showed up. Although most of him wanted the man to get away, don’t look, don’t _touch_ him in all those places, he knew he wouldn’t be able to do much alone. It shouldn’t bother him, because Zoro was a friend reaching out his hand to help. But since Sanji just fucking couldn’t act like a normal person would, he couldn’t help but feel cautious every time the man leaned in too close.

He only noticed it was over when he felt the cloth being pulled out of his mouth. It took him a couple of blinks to come back to reality. His arm stung in the place it had been stitched, but it wasn’t bleeding anymore.

“How is it?” Asked Zoro, damping the piece of material in the water and handing to the cook. “You should clean yourself up before putting on fresh bandages.”

“Right.” Sanji nodded, taking the wet cloth and trying to get the dried and fresh blood off his skin. He then turned to the water bucket in order to soak it again and froze when he realized that Zoro could now clearly see his back. And all the whip scars. And the fresh bruises. _And the mark._

“Fuck–“ Before he had the chance to turn around, he felt the swordsman’s fingertips trail the nasty X-shaped scar on his lower back. It took all his self-control not to flinch away. He felt warmth building up in his eyes.

“What is this?” The swordsman’s tone was cold, his voice almost too quiet for Sanji to hear. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down.

“I told you it’s not pretty.” He said eventually, letting out a shaky breath.

“You never told me it was _this_ serious.”

“Ever get the feeling that you want to say something but are afraid you’ll end up sounding like a hurt kid crying for attention?” Shit, he was totally losing it. “It’s just a scar anyway now. It’s not like it’s going to kill me.”

Zoro didn’t respond to that, and so silence fell between them. It wasn’t awkward, but it wasn’t soothing either. Sanji could feel the swordsman’s anger, threat slowly filling the air. He grit his teeth slightly, closing his eyes. It was a thing of the past already. It didn’t matter anymore.

_Did it?_

***

Zoro felt as though his mind stopped working the moment he touched the scar on the cook’s lower back. He didn’t have to ask what it was. Neither of them dared to move for a while and the swordsman could feel his anger slowly getting the best of him. It was sick, horrible and never should had happened. Not to the cook, not to anyone.

He didn’t say a word when the cook finally cleaned himself, nor did he when he started covering the man’s torso and arms with fresh bandages. The anger inside him rising every time the cook tensed up or when a small gasp escaped him when Zoro touched the place the cigarette burns were placed.

Or how he almost jerked away when the swordsman tried to bandage a cut on his thigh, apparently touching him to close to the dark bruises staining the inner parts of his limbs.

But Zoro’s anger wasn’t meant to be vent out on Sanji. Nor was it the cook’s fault. With every consecutively covered injury the swordsman felt himself moving closer to his breaking point. Every time he heard or felt his friend tense up from fear, he put another cut on the image of the man they encountered on the deck.

The cook was a strong man, that much he managed to find out during their short relationship. Strong, independent and kind, especially towards Nami. Watching him in such a wrecked state made his blood boil. To think that people called _him_ a demon.

“It’s enough, mosshead.” He heard Sanji’s voice reach out to him. “That was the last one.”

Zoro hummed quietly, leaning back until he felt his back connect with the cool tiling. He tried to calm down his anger while the cook dressed up, but it just didn’t seem to work. He had to cut something into pieces, be it the vast ocean itself, but if he didn’t slice anything in the following three minutes it was going to drive him crazy.

“Thank you.” Sanji also leaned back, sighing. Zoro waited a moment for the cook to say something more, but apparently there was no insult coming at him. Slowly, he stood up and headed towards the door.

“You’re welcome, shitty cook.” He tried to sound and act naturally, but he knew his moves were a little more rapid than usually and he was practically _itching_ to vent his anger out. And since the cook was fucking observant, it couldn’t not had resulted in a fiasco.

***

Sanji remained motionless for a while after the swordsman took his leave, breathing heavily and cursing under his breath. His hands were trembling and now he couldn’t think of anything but the silence that fell when Zoro saw all his injuries for the first time. _It was stupid to let him stay there. Now he knows._

_He saw it._

The cook yanked his head back, closing his eyes shut and trying to push away the thought that he’d just spend a pretty decent amount of time half-naked with the swordsman. It was stupid, it wasn’t strange but his goddamned mind was trying to make a fuss out of it. Fear paralyzed him as he realized the swordsman could’ve easily grabbed his wrists back then, locked them above his head and–

“Sanji!”

The sound of his captain’s voice immediately brought him back to reality and he realized he’d been taking quick, deep breaths the whole time, completely losing himself in his ridiculous, paranoid thoughts. He looked up at Luffy, whose arms were crossed on his chest and concern painted all over his face.

“Are you alright?” He moved a few steps closer before crouching near the cook so that their faces were on the same level.

“Why aren’t you asleep? I thought it was he mosshead’s turn to take the shift.”

“You’ve been moving around like you were hurt.” _Oh._ Sanji sighed deeply, looking down. His eyes trailing along the floorboards.

“So you figured.” He spoke up eventually. “Guess I can’t fool the captain.”

Luffy changed his position from crouching to sitting, the way Sanji could no longer see his face. They simply remained there in silence for a moment and the chef wanted to say something, but nothing seemed good enough.

He had hurt the captain, showed how little faith he had in him and now when they were alone, he couldn’t even pluck up the courage to talk about it. _A pathetic good-for-nothing._

“I’m glad you’re back.”

Luffy was the one to eventually break the silence. Sanji clenched his fists. He knew the captain wouldn’t lie to him. That if he said he was glad, the chef was welcome on board. At the same time, he still couldn’t stop trembling after what had just happened because of his sick thoughts.

_Don’t forget who you belong to now, piece of trash. You’re nothing, understand? No one would care if we killed you here and now, no one would mourn such a failure._

It was ridiculously pathetic how a part of him could still believe that. He was disgusting. Unable to trust. _Unworthy_ of trust. After everything the crew had done for him, he still believed _their_ words. It was absolutely wrong and twisted and he wanted it to stop but the more he struggled the louder the voice became.

“Sanji.” Luffy’s soothing voice once again stopped his train of thoughts. “You’re on Merry now, and a part of the crew. You’re our friend.”

“I know.” He muttered, still mad at himself for letting such thoughts throw him off balance. “Luffy… I’m sorry.”

The captain didn’t respond to his apology and Sanji felt the silence between them slowly choking him. Worse though, he had no clue what to say next. Was Luffy mad? Was he going to mock Sanji for an apology being the best he can offer after all of this? He had all the rights to be annoyed. Ever since Sanji found himself on the ship, everything he could support the crew with was trouble.

“I should’ve told you about everything. I should’ve put up a fight. I’m sorry for causing you to change your route only because of my foolishness…” He felt his fingernails dug deeply in the skin on his palms, almost cutting through it. “I’m sorry for not having enough trust.”

The silence got even more intense and the chef just wanted to curl into a ball and disappear then and there. He’d never had thought talking to his captain would be so hard, let alone looking him in the eye. He quickly rejected the thought of standing up and leaving the room.

“But you didn’t do anything wrong, right?” Sanji widened his eyes, holding his breath. “You didn’t want to ruin the party, but you left the message so Nami could later find you. You knew we were going to find you if you did.” To the chef’s utter surprise, Luffy’s statement was followed by a chuckle. “You did what you thought was the best for us, didn’t you?”

“You’re just putting it the way it sounds pretty, but it’s not.” Sanji sighed heavily. “Listen, Luffy. I almost lost faith in you back then. When… when they…” He wanted to spit it out but his throat clenched when he remembered precisely _when_. He didn’t want to talk about it. Not yet.

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. What happened, happened. It doesn’t matter anymore.” The chef gasped quietly after hearing those words. He recalled what Usopp told him. _Luffy doesn’t pay attention to who you were._

“Stop thinking of yourself as a burden.” Luffy stood up, slowly reaching his hand up. “Everyone’s happy because you’re back, you know?”

Sanji finally dared to look up and watched his captain take his straw hat off his head. For a moment, he examined It carefully, dark eyes lightening up with a spark. Then he squatted in front of Sanji and gently placed the hat on his head.

“It’s all that matters.” He smiled slightly, standing up and leaving the room quietly. Sanji slowly reached his hand and put it on top of his head, as if making sure Luffy’s greatest treasure was still there.

Finding words to describe what he was feeling was impossible, and whenever he found expressing his thoughts, warmth started building up in his eyes. He hated himself for it as much as he did for believing the taunting voices which echoed in his ears whenever he was left alone, but he knew it was what made him human.

He had _feelings,_ whether it was a good or bad thing. And even though he loathed exposing himself like that, he was grateful for it. Taking the straw hat off his head, he put it close to his chest, closing his eyes and sighing deeply.


	12. It's about time we parted our ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn that everything comes to an end and where one adventure ends, another begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> I dedicate this chapter to all the folks filtering by "Completed works only" _(for I've been waiting for you for a long, long time)_.
> 
> Have fun!

Gentle rays of sunlight laid themselves on everything in the room, soon creating a pleasant warmth. Sanji opened his eyes slowly, getting up.

He hadn’t slept in a bed for a long time, but after all the days he’d been kept in the dark room he couldn’t help but flinch and feel the sleepiness float away with every louder noise. It all got even worse when the night fell.

He even considered asking for a night lamp, but soon discarded the idea. They were on a ship after all – if it fell and crashed, the fire could spread all over the deck before anyone would notice. He’d have to deal with that without the help of others.

Still, he hadn’t slept so well in way too long – without the horrible nightmares haunting him, not letting to fall asleep. No matter how he loathed the darkness now, it couldn’t compare to the horror he’d felt in those dreams. And as soon as the moonlight was there to support him, it was okay. As long as it wasn’t pitch black…

“Sanji! You’re still in bed!” Usopp’s surprised voice brought him back from being lost in his thoughts. “Get ready quickly, we’re arriving soon!”

“Did I sleep through the entire week or are you trying to give me some of _the greatest adventure is in our hearts_ bullshit?” the chef narrowed his eyes slightly. The Reverse mountain was at least a couple of days away from where they currently were.

“Just get ready.” A slight smirk crawled onto Usopp’s face. “Believe me, you’d hate to face where we’re going in what you’re wearing now.”

“Shit.” Cursed Sanji, realizing one important thing. “The breakfast! I overslept.”

“Don’t worry about that.” The sniper calmed him down, raising his hands. “I took your shift of breakfasting today. Zoro told me it would be better to leave you when we noticed you were still asleep. He said you needed to regenerate.” It didn’t ease the chef’s feeling of guilt, but at least he didn’t have to worry about the crew going hungry for the rest of the morning.

“Thanks.” He muttered, looking away at the calm waves… which weren’t passing them by at all. “Hey, the ship’s not moving.”

“Just get ready. We’ll be waiting for you on the upper deck.” Usopp cleared his throat, swiftly proceeding out of the room and closing the door with a quiet _click._ The chef shook his head slowly, changing into his beloved three-piece and quickly making his way out to the upper deck.

Everyone was already there, sanding around with those sly smiles on their faces, and it took Sanji a few seconds to raise his head and see why they were all in such a good mood.

His jaw dropped as soon as he laid his eyes on the fairly large, oval-shaped ship in front of him. He scanned it over and over again, his gaze jumping from the giant fish head to the entrance door and the big _restaurant_ sign placed on the top floor.

“Fuck it, I’m dreaming.” He whispered, pulling on his ear as if expecting to wake up under the influence of pain. _No such chance_.

“Sanji, be more serious.” He heard Nami’s amused voice, but didn’t even look at her, still to shocked to piece himself whole.

“I thought you guys wanted to sail to the Reverse Mountain.”

“And we will. But thanks to certain _someone_ we decided to make an additional stop. Someone here asked to at least get you back home.”

“Don’t look at me.” Grunted the swordsman. “It would be a pain to carry you on the deck any longer.”

“Hey, Zoro! We can’t afford losing Sanji! He makes the best meat!”

“You can’t decide for him, Luffy!”

Sanji left their words behind, stepping off the deck and heading straight to the entrance door. He felt surprised and overjoyed and stressed out at the same time, looking at the Baratie as if it was the first time he’d ever seen it.

As soon as he stepped through the door frame, the aromas coming from the kitchen hit him and it felt so nostalgic he felt his eyes watering. _Holy shit._ The tables, walls, doors – damn it, even the guests looked exactly the same as when he’d last seen them. Everything seemed just like he’d never been gone and suddenly he was struck by a wave of feelings so powerful that for a moment he couldn’t move a finger. The nightmare was over. He was back _home._ It was all okay, so what was this quiet voice whispering him it wasn’t and wouldn’t be?

“Excuse me, sir.” A quiet voice brought him back to reality and Sanji raised an eyebrow when he noticed a pair of eyes on him. “Welcome to the Baratie. Are you here alone or should I prepare a table for two?”

“Oh.” The chef became quite puzzled by the question. _Right, a new waiter. Those bastards will never learn._ “Actually, I’m going to the kitchen.”

“I’m sorry, but we don’t let guests inside.” Stuttered out the waiter and Sanji’s brow twitched slightly as he made a step forward and the guy simply got in his way. “I insist you’d chose if you want a table for two or–“

“Step aside.” The chef tried not to rise his tone, but judging from how the man’s face went a few shades paler, something must had been odd about his voice anyway. “Or I’ll kick you through the room. I told you, I’m heading to the kitchen.”

“I have to warn you sir, our chefs are a bit unstable emotionally, they might try to attack you-“

“Just move!” Sanji’s had enough of that talk and felt quite pleased when the waiter’s silhouette finally got out of his sight. Fortunately or not, the guy wasn’t going to stay there for long with this kind of personality. A decent waiter would be welcome, though.

The kitchen door usually didn’t make a sound when someone entered the room, but the kick Sanji aimed for it guaranteed him the big entrance he wanted. Everyone stopped whatever they were working on, heads turning his direction.

“I fucking told you; don’t show your ass in here unless–“ Started Patty but closed his mouth as soon as his eyes met Sanji’s, the pot he was holding hitting the floor with a loud _bang_ and spilling its content all over the floor.

Somewhere in the corner of the kitchen Sanji noticed Carne spill oil on the burner, creating a small fire. All of the chefs, including him stood there for a moment, utterly speechless, until all those fools Sanji got to know so well over the years started talking at once.

“Thought you were never going to show up again. I’ve already planned a celebration for such a lucky occasion.”

“Here he comes – the shittiest sous-chef Baratie could wish for.”

“It’s about time for my good mood to go fuck itself. Thank you very much.”

And although they were all insults Sanji couldn’t stop the wide grin from spreading all over his face as suddenly he was surrounded by the cooks telling him how much they hated him there and asking why did he even come back. _Sincere, huh. Especially when said with a wide smile on one’s face._

Someone patted him on the shoulder, telling him how grateful they were for his shitty food to disappear.

Someone ruffled his hair laughing and saying it was nice of him to come back but it was about time for another trip.

Someone shouted for him to get his fucking ass out of the kitchen and start taking orders from the customers as the new waiter was a good-for-nothing.

“Where is Zeff?” he asked once everyone had calmed down a little.

“Upstairs. I bet he’ll be happy to see you again. He’s had about enough of all the new waiters that came here after you left.” Sighed Patty, rolling his eyes slightly. “Seriously though, those guys were all nearly as hopeless as you were.”

“Thank god they weren’t half as bad at taking orders as you are at cooking.” Sanji smirked when he heard Patty snort loudly and headed upstairs.

***

_“What do you mean, Zoro?” Luffy cocked his head. “Sanji’s the ship’s cook. Why would he want to leave?”_

_“I’m not saying he’ll leave.” Zoro shook his head slowly, crossing his arms, tone firm. “I’m saying that we have to give him the choice.”_

_“I thought Sanji was going to sail with us through the Grand Line.” Protested Nami. “You two never got along well. Are you sure you’re not trying to find a way to dispose of him?”_

_“I’m not!” there was a dangerous vibe in Zoro’s voice. “If I wanted him off board, I wouldn’t go through the trouble of getting him out of that fucking brothel back then.”_

_“He promised he’ll sail with us, so what’s the big deal?” the captain shrugged slightly._

_“And what choice did he have?” The swordsman almost growled, visibly annoyed with how his captain refused to understand what he was aiming at. “Look, Luffy. I’m not saying he won’t or doesn’t want to stay with us. But back then, his choices were to join us or go back to those people. I spoke to him today afternoon. What if he doesn’t want to sail through the world’s most dangerous seas with a bunch of freaks?”_

_“Excuse me?” Nami raised her voice, frowning deeply. “Zoro, what the hell are you implying?”_

_“I’m telling you that the guy has a place he’d like to return to!” shouted the swordsman, immediately calming down as the navigator flinched involuntarily. “I’m sorry, Nami. It’s just that- for the last months he was forced to do what others wanted him to. I think we should give him a choice.”_

_“I-I think Zoro’s right.” All eyes were immediately on Usopp, who finally decided to speak up. “I mean, whatever Sanji chooses to do next, let it be his decision. I also hate the thought of him leaving us, trust me. But it won’t make sense if it’s going to be against his will.” He looked directly at Luffy, who seemed to be thinking intensely about something at the moment._

_“Okay then! I decided.” Stated the captain after a short while. “We’ll let Sanji decide on what he’s going to do next. We’re sailing to the floating restaurant. Nami, set the course!”_

“Hey, Usopp.” His train of thoughts stopped when he felt someone nudge him slightly. “Get ready for raising the anchor. We’re leaving to the Grand Line soon.”

He turned his head, meeting Nami’s seemingly indifferent gaze.

“Yeah, right.” He said nervously, turning to the masts. “I just thought it would be nice to stay a little longer before we go.” _Say goodbye to Sanji_ he didn’t.

“Right.” She smiled slightly, but the quiet sigh she tried to mask belied her.

The sniper leaned on the railing, looking at the sky. Everyone felt the same right now. _Heavy._ It had been like that ever since the chef left the deck. Everyone knew they had to prepare the ship for the journey, but no one really had the courage to.

Usopp wouldn’t admit it, but he was actually _scared_. It wasn’t the type of fear he felt when they were fighting Captain Kuro on his island or when he was afraid of something bad happening to Kaya. This one was more bitter, because he knew that if it comes true he’d have to put on a happy face and pretend everything was alright.

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this.” He sighed slightly. “If you and Zoro didn’t find him back then, we’d probably be sailing through the Grand Line by now. Crazy right?”

“ _Or_ we’d all have died from starvation.” Nami’s voice had turned bitter as she looked at the floating restaurant. “With how much Luffy eats and the amount of waste we produce when cooking and have no idea how to later turn into something edible.”

“Point taken.”

***

There he found it, the door to Zeff’s room. He trailed his fingers across the wooden surface until they rested on the handle. Swallowing a large bile that had formed in his throat, he silently opened the door. A quiet curse escaped him when the hinges creaked mercilessly.

The room didn’t look any different compared to how it did back when he’d last been there. It didn’t even differ much from the rest of the rooms the staff lived in – the only significant difference was the smell.

It was hard to explain for Sanji, but the old man’s room smelled like safety. It was where he spend a couple of first weeks after the Baratie was opened and when he later came when nightmares haunted him. And Zeff had always been there to comfort him.

“There’s only one person I know with mouth foul enough to curse at creaking hinges.”

Sanji raised his glance and rested his gaze on the head chef’s back. The old man as wearing his apron, his hat laying on the bed beside him. He was looking outside the window, not even moving when the Strawhat’s chef walked a few steps closer.

“Seems like you lost your way for a while.” Zeff hummed, nodding slowly, and Sanji felt his throat clench. He hadn’t seen the other man in so long it felt like ages, and the nagging feeling that what he was seeing wasn’t real only made things worse. Zeff stood up, turning to him. “It’s good to see you home, eggplant.”

It was the breaking point for Sanji. He felt the warmth building up in his eyes as they stung and before he knew it, he had his arms wrapped around the old man. No words came up to his mind as they just stood there like that and he sobbed loudly when Zeff hugged him back.

He couldn’t believe this was happening, but at the same time he’d never felt anything so _real._ Thoughts raced through his head like crazy, making the world spin slightly for a moment. He struggled for breath between the sobs, tears falling down his cheeks and sinking into the old man’s apron.

“I’m back.” He manages to stutter out eventually. “I’m sorry I left without a word, I’m sorry I made you worried, I’m sorry…”

“Shh.” Zeff shushed him and patted his head and it felt _just_ like when Sanji was still a kid. A terrified, traumatized kid the old man had to take care of. “It’s okay now. Everything’s okay, eggplant.”

Sanji partly hated himself when he felt his racing heart calm down due to the subtle gesture. No matter how strong he became or how much years have passed, deep inside he was still just a shitty brat and the old geezer knew it but too well.

He lacked the words to express his feelings, so for a moment he stood there like that, face buried in Zeff’s apron and inhaling the man’s calming scent. Everything was fine now. He was _safe._

“I guess you found yourself some friends if they went through the struggle of sailing all the way here.” Said the old man when Sanji eventually pulled back, wiping his eyes and trying to ignore how read his face was from all the crying. “It would be nice to thank them properly.”

“Yeah.” The younger chef nodded slightly, taking a few deep breaths.

“But I bet you’d like to wait a minute before we get down there. You look more like a lobster than an eggplant right now.”

“You’re probably right.” Sanji chuckled quietly, running a hand through his hair and straightening his wrinkled jacket. “They probably would take me for one if I showed up right now.”

***

“I should have known it were those bastards.” Snorted Zeff as soon as he spotted Going Merry. Although soon he smiled slightly, when his eyes met Luffy. “I thought I told them to never come here again.”

“You equipped shitty _pirates_ with the cheapest booze you had in stock.” Said Sanji, lighting up a cigarette and taking a deep drag. It tasted shitty fantastic, but most importantly it stopped his hands from shaking. “Of course they had to come for more.”

The old geezer chuckled in response, watching the crew leave Merry’s board patiently. Sanji also looked at them. If it was the first time they met, he would probably think those guys just lost their way or something, since the Baratie’s guests were usually more refined, and showered. But every hungry person was a customer, so it wouldn’t change anything.

“Thank you for helping the lost eggplant find its way home.” Spoke Zeff eventually, giving Luffy a look full of gratitude. “How can I return the favor?”

“Actually, Sanji joined our crew on our journey.” Said Luffy, smiling widely. “We’ve been wondering if he wanted to stay on out ship. His cooking is the best!” Sanji felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked at the old man’s face, suddenly a few shades darker than before. Things seemed to have stopped for a moment as they all stood there, all eyes on Zeff.

“I’ve known the eggplant since he was a shitty brat.” Said the Baratie’s head chef eventually. “And I know how much he always wanted to find the All Blue. If you take him under your sail, can you promise you’ll do anything to help him achieve that?”

“Of course.” Luffy threw the words in the air as though he’d just been asked if One Piece exists, although his expression became a little more serious. “Sanji’s definitely going to find the All Blue and make the best meat I’ve ever eaten. I’ve already decided on that.”

“If you say so…” Zeff nodded slowly, visibly satisfied with the answer. “I don’t see a reason why he shouldn’t come with you.”

“I should also have a say in this.” protested Sanji, stepping in front of Zeff. “I can’t leave the Baratie yet, even if I wanted to go to the Grand Line, it’s not the time yet.”

“But you _do_ want to go with them, don’t you?”

Whatever Sanji wanted to say got stuck in his throat as he widened his eyes, looking at the old geezer. That was the odd feeling he had when stepping into the Baratie. Nothing made him happier than the sight of the floating restaurant, but there was something else. He didn’t belong there anymore. Subconsciously, he knew his place was on Merry’s deck, nowhere else.

Zeff smirked slightly, watching the young chef struggle with his feelings.

“It’s time for you to leave this place and go to the Grand Line anyway.” He stated. “I can’t afford keeping you around here for the rest of your life.”

“I still haven’t repaid the debt.”

“Forget about the goddamn debt and go live your life. Can’t you see it’s enough for me if you’re safe and have trusted people around you?”

Sanji felt something inside him shatter. He felt his eyes sting mercilessly and as though there was no one beside him or the old chef around, he walked to Zeff and wrapped his arms around him, unable to hold back a half-choked sob. God, he didn’t want to do that in front of the crew, but it was too much for him. He was a mess and didn’t know what to do anymore.

“Don’t start with your waterworks here, brat.” Zeff chuckled half-heartedly “Don’t think I’ll be sour if you leave now. I’m just glad I could wave you goodbye.”

“…Thank you.” Sanji whispered, lowering his voice so that only the old geezer could hear him. “ _Dad._ ”

Warm tears stained his cheeks as a wave of emotions he wasn’t able to control rolled over him.

***

Zoro couldn’t hold back a small smile watching the scene taking place in front of him. For all that time, the cook had been holding back his feelings in order not to bother anyone on the ship. Always pretending he was alright, even though he wasn’t. It was good to see him let it all go.

He looked at Nami and Usopp, who were standing by his side and raised his eyebrows when he noticed they were both wiping their eyes, smiling slightly. He knew he wouldn’t understand what they were feeling at the moment.

He’d never had an adult who he’d been close enough to form a strong bond. Koshiro was a good man and always took care of him when he was younger, but Zoro treated him more like a teacher. His gaze turned back to the shitty cook and the old man. The way the Baratie’s owner smiled warmly, letting Sanji stain his apron with tears made something inside the swordsman’s gut clench.

For the first time in his entire life, he wondered how it felt to have someone like that. _A loving parent._

***

“Go, eggplant.” Sanji felt a hand patting his head and ruffling his hair as Zeff finally broke the silence. “Take your things and go with them. Let me know when you reach the All Blue. Don’t catch a cold.”

“Roger that, old geezer.” The Strawhats’ chef hesitantly let go of the Baratie’s owner, wiping out the tears and turning back to the crew. _His crew._

They were all smiling and before he knew it they jumped at him, laughing and welcoming him. Even the swordsman snapped something like _good to see you on board again, shitty cook._ Sanji leaned his head back a little, looking up into the clear sky, thanking whatever gods there were for ending the nightmare he had been living in and sending him the best friends he could wish for.

The past months… brought a lot of horrible things. But it didn’t matter anymore. He found people who wouldn’t abandon him. He was safe.

The adventure of his life was waiting for him, arms open wide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this is it. I feel so bittersweet right now, because this story has become the biggest thing I've ever written* (never planned for it to turn out so long, but it was such great fun to dive into the plot with all of you I'm genuinely moved). Thank you so much for staying with me for this whole time, you're absolutely amazing!
> 
> Thank you for choosing my work.
> 
> * - _It is definitely the biggest thing I've ever written in my life until 2020's NaNoWriMo_


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